For Appearance's Sake
by Teala373
Summary: Bruce & Barbara pretend to date to work on a big case.
1. Chapter 1

For Appearance's Sake

By Teala373

Chapter 1

Synopsis: Takes place in the B:TAS continuity after Dick leaves, but before Tim appears. Annoyed with Bruce's constant social obligations, Barbara comes up with a plan for them to work on a big case both with and without their masks, but she gets in way over her head.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Barbara Gordon was bored.

Once upon a time, she would have enjoyed going to a glitzy Gotham gala, especially a governor's ball. Though the pretentious crowd, designer gowns, and expensive food weren't her scene, she always had fun because Dick Grayson was at her side cracking jokes and twirling her around the dance floor.

But those days were gone.

As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she missed Dick terribly. She wished she could just get over him as easily as he had gotten over her when he left Gotham in a blinding rage, but she couldn't.

She sighed as she stared into her glass of water. She would have loved a ginger ale, and knew they served decaffeinated soda at the bar, but she tried not to pollute her body at all these days. She needed to stay as sharp as possible, now that she was Batman's only partner. Her only guilty pleasure was Alfred's infamous oatmeal raisin cookies, but they were still slightly healthy.

Taking a lone seat at the bar, she surveyed the room, hoping to at least amuse herself by 'people watching'. Though Dick was no longer making witty comments and scathing remarks about Gotham's finest in her ear, she always enjoyed watching the masses make utter fools of themselves.

Her father was talking animatedly with the mayor and new district attorney. Bullock was standing at the hors d'oeuvre table, pausing in the filling of his plate to tug on his tie. Montoya stood a few feet away, shaking her head at the detective. Pierce Montague, a very spoiled shipping heir, was chatting with the owner of the Gotham Country Club and Lucius Fox. Barbara noted that Lucius looked incredibly bored and seemed to be unsuccessfully trying to get out of the conversation.

Finally, Barbara's eyes landed on Bruce Wayne, who was surrounded by four blondes, three brunettes, and one very possessive looking Veronica Vreeland. Though Barbara had taken a very high position at Wayne Tech, and often reported directly on projects to Bruce and Lucius, she still kept her distance from him publicly as much as possible to avoid suspicion. However, it was highly unlikely that anyone would ever suspect either of them were Batman and Batgirl.

Nearly choking on her water, Barbara tried to compose herself as she noticed the man that had just walked into the room and was striding towards the bar. It was a man she had once known; a man who was now building a very dangerous reputation for himself.

"Jason Bard? Is that you?"

The handsome older man turned and smiled at the beautiful redhead to his right. "Barbara Gordon! It's been too long."

Widening her smile, Barbara stepped forward and offered the former police officer a friendly hug. "Indeed it has. How are you?"

"Well, thank you. How about yourself?"

"Very good, thanks." She then wasted no time going in for the kill. "Congratulations on your recent promotion. You've come a long way from making sure I didn't sneak out after curfew."

Jason seemed to pale slightly and look a bit nervous. "How… how did you know about that?"

Barbara waved a hand dismissively. "I have quite a bit of stock tied up in Westford and take an active interest in the upper management. I feel better about my investments knowing you're running the entire Eastern division."

Jason didn't know that his attempts to fake congeniality through accepting the compliment were wasted on Barbara's highly trained senses. He continued talking to her about Westford, completely convinced that she was blind to the knowledge of the company's true origin and intentions. Little did he know that the Commissioner's daughter was playing him like a violin.

"I've enjoyed talking with you, Barbara," Jason concluded after spending nearly an hour in her company, "but I promised Mr. Montague that I would deliver some promising numbers to him." He took her hand and placed a tender kiss atop it. "As always, it was a pleasure." He added a quick wink as he walked away. "Stay out of trouble, or I'll be forced to file a civilian's report with your father."

"Har har," Barbara deadpanned as he walked away. She focused back on her latest glass of water and tried to conceal her excitement. She had just stumbled across a huge lead in a major investigation and she had to talk with Bruce.

Unfortunately, Bruce was very preoccupied playing a parody of his self.

Barbara sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that night. With Dick out of her life, she had thrown herself into her nightly activities and constantly requested Bruce's audience to discuss them. However, when he was out in public as Bruce Wayne, it was nearly impossible for her to gain his attention. Even at work she had to bite her tongue when he pretended to flake out on her project status and repeatedly ask why she was asking for a budget increase for her department, when she knew that he was aware it was justified in not only advancing his company, but their own investigations.

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Paying only enough attention to keep Veronica from yelling at him, as she often did when she demanded his attention, Bruce kept an eye on Barbara as she spoke with Jason Bard. Though he couldn't effectively read their lips from his position, he knew that Barbara was covertly working him over for information. He smiled to himself, proud of her work. Since he had trusted her with his secret and formally invited her to work along side him, he had been impressed with how she conducted herself. She was incredibly sharp and focused, not to mention her extreme intelligence and computer prowess came in handy on more than one occasion. Though he felt protective of her, as he had of Dick, it was easier for him to trust her and not overburden her as he had his ward.

Or maybe he had finally learned from his mistakes.

"Excuse me, Ronnie. I'm going to get us more champagne." As he walked towards the bar, he heard Veronica call to him about having a waiter take care of it, but he ignored it.

"Two glasses of Cristal and a caffeine-free ginger ale for Ms. Gordon," he politely instructed the bartender.

Barbara slid her eyes to the left to send him a side-long glance. "It will be your fault if I'm sluggish later," she muttered in a low tone.

"While I appreciate your habits, one glass will be fine. I'll have Alfred prepare you a protein shake before patrol."

"Speaking of which, I really need to speak with you."

Bruce gave a slight nod. "I just need to make a few more rounds and then I can leave."

Accepting the two champagne glasses, he nodded politely at Barbara as the small glass of ginger ale was placed in front of her before heading back towards the ever-demanding Veronica Vreeland.

The bartender looked expectantly at Barbara.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me! The boy billionaire stuck me with the bill?"

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

"Do you have any idea how much money you owe me?" Barbara hissed after Bruce asked her to dance and led her to the center of the dance floor. "They charged me for any entire bottle, which cost $800! And my ginger ale, that I didn't even want, was $12!"

Bruce smiled his usual playboy smile. "I'll take care of it."

The frown still stayed on Barbara's features. "Can we leave, yet? I think I bored Lucius to tears with my latest design specks."

"Just a few more moments."

"That's what you said over an hour ago."

Bruce tried to not to shoot Barbara an intimidating look. He didn't need to be reminded that keeping up his fake persona was exhausting, and now it was wearing on his partner.

"Let me put in a little more time with Veronica to keep her happy, and then I'm all yours."

The music ended and Bruce politely excused himself and headed back to where Veronica was speaking to Pierce Montague, whom Barbara often referred to as 'the Vreeland sidekick'.

The frown stayed on her face as she watched Bruce walk over to Veronica, not caring who noticed. There was something about the way Bruce had said "… and then I'm all yours" that made the wheels in her mind begin to turn.

This was a big case, one that couldn't just be put on hold because Bruce had to play nice with a bunch of pampered socialites. Squaring her shoulders, Barbara walked very purposefully over to Bruce, attempting to execute either the smartest or stupidest idea she ever had.

"Bruce, dearest," she called out as she stood in front of her mentor amerced in a sea of botox and silicone, "I'm getting a bit tired. Can we leave, yet?"

If he was surprised by Barbara's actions, he didn't show it. "Of course we can, sorry to keep you waiting."

As Bruce stepped forward and held out his arm to Barbara, Veronica was having a difficult time keeping her eyes in her head. "You two?! You two are dating? B-but Bruce was with me practically all night!"

Barbara threw Veronica a saucy look. "Yes, but he's leaving with me."

Without waiting for a response, the two walked arm-in-arm towards the exit. Barbara didn't even bother to pause and say good-bye to her father, afraid that she would not have a very good reason as to why she was pretending to be Bruce Wayne's date.

Once they were within view of Bruce's Rolls Royce, Alfred stepped out of the car and walked around to hold the door open for them. "Good evening, Miss Gordon."

"Hello, Alfred. Good to see you again."

"And you as well. Will you be joining us this evening?"

"Yes, but only on business."

Alfred shut the door and then resumed his position behind the wheel. "Will you have time for some oatmeal cookies?" Alfred knew they were her favorite and made a point of making them regularly.

Barbara crossed her arms. "Unfortunately, Bruce made me drink a ginger ale, so now I have to choke down a protein shake."

"Nothing aides the fearful task of consuming a protein shake like an oatmeal cookie, Miss Gordon. I will prepare both and bring them down to you once you're settled in the cave."

Smiling Barbara, leaned forward in her seat. "You're the best, Alfred."

"So, I've been told."

Bruce cleared his throat. "What did you find out from Bard?"

"They have a contract with Montague Shipping and there's a large, private order going out at the end of the month. Bard has worked his way up through the ranks very quickly and reports directly to the corporate office downtown. I tried to ask him about his private eye business, but he claims he gave it up for a regular paycheck," she sighed and met Bruce's eye. "Bard was a good cop. I think he's playing double agent, but he might be in over his head on this one. I think we should split up; cover the docks and Bard's place."

She opened a compartment and pulled out a small laptop. "There's more. Let me enter it into a case file while it's still fresh."

"Very good," Bruce nodded, "and nice work on getting us out of there."

Barbara froze and turned to him with a hesitant expression. "I… I'm sorry. It was the only thing I could think of. I want to follow Bard and find out what information he gave Pierce, but one of us needs to watch the warehouse on pier 12 for suspicious activity. We need to find out what this shipment is…"

Bruce laid a hand on Barbara's arm. "No need for apologies. It was an excellent idea, and one that we can use to our advantage."

"Oh?" Barbara raised an eyebrow at him while still looking hesitant.

"You're right, Barbara. My social obligations are interfering with our work, but they don't have to if we keep up this charade."

From the front seat, Alfred turned his head slightly.

"So," Barbara began cautiously, "we would pretend to date, just for appearance's sake, so we can work together out in the open."

"Exactly."

Turning back towards the laptop, Barbara began creating a new case file and typing in her conversation with Bard. "I… I guess… alright, then."

"I'll cover the docks while you investigate Bard," Bruce began clipping out orders. "Alfred, I'll need a file on Westford Exporting, the Thorn crime family and Montague Shipping. Also, can you prepare a list of my appointments and engagements for Barbara?"

"Of course, sir."

"How much time do you need before you can start?"

Barbara continued typing. "Five minutes to upload to the main server, two to start a query, two to choke down the shake and cookie, and three to dress and be out the door."

A corner of Bruce's mouth rose. "I'm holding you to that."

Ignoring his grin buzzing in the corner of her eye, Barbara changed the topic. "So, are there any ground rules?"

"Ground rules?"

"For the fake dating thing. You know: no real dating other people until both parties consent that to the termination of the fake dating, no gagging when you're forced to eat escargot, and make sure you don't yawn during a five hour polo discussion," she drawled sarcastically.

Alfred cleared his throat.

"How about you just follow my lead and try not to be too obvious."

"How about you trust me a little or I'll start planning your wedding to Vreeland," she shot back, still focused on the screen in front of her.

Alfred cleared his throat again.

Bruce shot a quick look in the direction of his butler that he made sure was seen from the rearview mirror. "I suppose I can trust you since this was your idea."

"I suppose I should be grateful that you conceded to one of my notions."

"We're arguing already and we haven't even had our first real date," he concluded in a more jovial tone; the tone he used for his public persona.

After pressing a few more keys, Barbara slammed the laptop shut harder than she meant to before turning towards Bruce with a no-nonsense look. "I know what you're trying to do and I'm insulted. I thought that inflated ego of yours was just an act."

"Excuse me?"

"Stop trying to bait me with that so called Wayne charm of yours. I'm your partner and I have a lead on a big case. Test me in the dojo, but don't test my trust on an assignment."

"I'm not baiting you. You were the one who wanted to establish ground rules."

"Hey, I'm just the daughter of a cop who happens to know a couple things about computers. I didn't grow up on Park Avenue. I don't know all the ins and outs of the Gotham elite, so I will need your help."

Bruce settled back in his seat. "Fair enough." He would never admit it to her, but he often enjoyed riling her up. Sometimes it was too easy.


	2. Chapter 2

For Appearance's Sake

By Teala373

Chapter 2

In our last chapter: Barbara pretends to be Bruce's date to get him away from his social obligations to work on a case. Jason Bard, an honorably discharged police officer, has been moving up the ranks in one of crime lord Rupert Thorn's front businesses, and may be playing double agent. Bruce suggests they continue pretending to be a couple to work on the case more easily.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

"This lobster risotto is fantastic," Barbara exclaimed in between bites. She and Bruce were playing the happy couple at a new restaurant opening in downtown Gotham.

A corner of Bruce's mouth rose as he watched her plop a forkful of the risotto on his plate, then spear the piece of roasted lamb he had just cut for himself. "Oh my, the lamb is great, too. You have to give me a raise so I can eat here more often."

He chuckled as he thwarted her second attempt to steal another piece of lamb, resulting in a brief fork duel on his plate.

"Okay, okay," she conceded. "I know guys hate when girls do that. Besides, I really do love this risotto. I don't think I've ever had it prepared this way."

"You mean with lobster?"

Barbara rolled her eyes. "No, I mean not out of a box."

They laughed and continued eating, ignoring the stares they were receiving from some curious patrons. Barbara had to admit that being the fake girlfriend of Bruce Wayne had its perks. They had been dining at some of the most exclusive restaurants and clubs in Gotham. Except for the fancy appetizers served at the swanky parties she was dragged to as the daughter to the police commissioner, she had never really eaten fine food. Even while dating Dick, they had always opted for more casual settings.

Little lines appeared on her forehead as thoughts of Dick Grayson entered her mind. She quickly shooed them away with a few sips of the fine wine that had been served with their meal.

Barbara had always been curious about Bruce's early college ventures in which he considered law. Though she understood his reasons for abandoning it in favor of his own brand of justice, she still found it fascinating. They had discussed it in length the previous evening at both the gallery opening and charity dinner they attended early in the week.

"Did you ever consider going into Congress or becoming a judge and redefining law?" she asked, eager to distract herself from thinking of Dick again.

"I did, and to some extent I would have liked to, but it is a slow process and I am not a very patient man."

She smiled, knowing all too well how thin his true patience was, despite the cool exterior he projected when masquerading as himself. "When I took law at GCU, I always thought Senator Gordon or Congresswoman Gordon had a nice ring to it."

"What about Agent Gordon? Do you ever think about reapplying for the FBI?" Bruce asked, "I'm sure they'd accept you now."

Barbara shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe when I'm older, I could serve in some sort of technical aspect, like hacker crimes or something along those lines."

"Did you ever think about joining the police force?"

"Are you kidding? That was rule number one in the Gordon household. Dad would never go for that," she looked away, "he never told me, but I know he was always afraid I would join for the wrong reasons..."

"Oh?" Bruce knew what all of those reasons were, though they had never discussed it. Barbara was aware he knew. She had long stopped being surprised by the fact that he seemed to know everything.

Though she looked at him with a smile, her eyes were sad. "I... I don't know why I brought that up. I don't really want to talk about it."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Done. What are your thoughts on Bard?"

Barbara had been trained by Bruce in the art of talking without letting other people around you know what you were talking about. She knew how to control the tones in her voice so they wouldn't carry and how to move her mouth so that her lips couldn't be read.

"Nothing spectacular stands out on his record before he was discharged from his injury. They never caught the guy that shot him, though there were a lot of suspects and line-ups, but Bard claimed none of them were the guy."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "You don't believe that?"

"You don't forget the face of a person who shoots at you, especially if they cause just enough damage to your leg to get you discharged from the force. I think he knows who did it, but for some reason, wasn't talking."

"Interesting."

"His leg is pretty well healed. He doesn't need a cane anymore, but he didn't try to return to law. He started doing a lot of odd jobs that always had something to do with Thorn. Mostly working on the docks. There are a lot of large cash deposits going in his bank account, but no checks or wires that I can trace. He eventually got some street cred because he slowly worked his way up the ranks. He was promoted from foreman, to warehouse supervisor, to divisional rep. Now, he's a big wig with one of Thorn's front businesses. That's why he's been making the party circuit. I'm still not one hundred percent sure what he's up to, but I think there is much more than meets the eye."

Bruce nodded. "I agree. We'll keep researching and observing until we have something solid. Nice work."

Barbara smiled. "Thanks." Compliments from Bruce were few and far between.

"We need to come up with an excuse as to why we can't go Veronica's latest shindig. I want to go take a look around the dock warehouse that he was operating out of."

Suppressing a laugh, Barbara nodded.

"What's so funny?"

"You saying 'shindig'."

He tried to make an intimidating face, but ended up smiling along with her. He had to admit to himself that he was enjoying the benefits of having Barbara as a girlfriend. He didn't have to pretend or act as he would with other dates. He found that he could relax and even enjoy himself. Ever since he had lost his friend Harvey Dent, social obligations weren't the same.

In the middle of play arguing over what dessert they were going to order and 'split', Bruce suddenly realized that he was very aware of his bottom stomach lining. At first, he dismissed it as the food, but when Barbara's eyes lit up at his invitation to the grand opening of the new space observatory funded by Wayne Tech, he knew it was something else.

He was genuinely enjoying every minute of his fake relationship with Barbara.

The band, who had been sticking to soft pop, switched over to an old Billie Holiday tune he remembered his mother playing on the old Victrola in the family room. A sudden burst of boldness and nostalgia seized him.

Standing, he extended his hand to Barbara. She giggled as she accepted. "Oh, yeah. I forgot I have to do the whole nine yards here. Do I also have to call your cell phone incessantly and pitch a fit every time you even breathe the same air as another woman?"

Pointedly ignoring her, he led her away from the table. As they reached the small dance floor, they automatically slid together into a dance position and began gliding around the floor.

"I don't know that I would want to make you jealous," he began with a mischievous gleam in his eye, "you might sabotage my jump line."

"Bat-humor, huh? Nice. And like I could ever get away with it without you knowing."

"I don't know," he continued with a sly look on his face, "if you keep beguiling me with your feminine charms..."

"Oh gag me! Save your smooth lines for the platinum blondes."

"Maybe it's not a line."

She threw him a challenging look. "I knew it."

"Knew what?"

"You agreed to this whole fake relationship thing way too easy. You're testing me to make sure I don't lose my head and get lost in this little posh world of yours."

He breathed out a small laugh as they continued to dance. The feeling that had almost eluded him at the dinner table was now growing as he held Barbara against him. At first, he really had thought this was a good solution to work on their cases without having the constant social interruptions. Now, he was starting to think that this was the beginning of all new social interruptions.

From the corner of his eye, he caught Veronica Vreeland scowling at them as she was seated with friends at a nearby table. He knew she was going to be a problem. Veronica had always been after him, but never so seriously as when he dated a woman more than twice in a row. He knew she perceived Barbara as a real threat and would start her usual catty games.

"Does this band always play here?" Barbara asked, clearly enjoying the song.

Instead of answering her, Bruce leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers. She stiffened at first, but then, remembering their plan of having to act like a happy couple, slid her arm from his shoulder to his neck and responded enthusiastically.

'It's just for appearance's sake,' she tried to tell herself, though the ever quickening beating of her heart was telling her otherwise.

Bruce, for his part, was also trying to convince himself that his actions were for appearance's sake, and to make a point to Veronica. However, he couldn't ignore the fact this was less of a facet of their work, and more of an enjoyment.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

"Are you sure you will be able to get along, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked as he paused in packing his bags.

"Come on, Alfred," Bruce smiled at his old friend whom he considered family, "go and spend time with your family. You deserve the vacation. Barbara and I will be fine."

"I've been meaning to discuss that with you, young sir." Bruce knew that when he was called him 'young sir', he was in for a lecture.

"What about it?"

"Are you entirely sure on what you're doing?"

"Of course. It's a great way for us to keep up our public appearances and still work on this Bard case. It's for appearance's sake, as Barbara always says."

The old butler sighed as he closed his suitcase and allowed them to be carried out to the car for him, knowing his protests would fall on deaf ears. "I don't think the pair of you know what you're in for."

Settling the large suitcase in the truck, Bruce closed the lid. "Actually, I think I know exactly what I'm in for."

Alfred recognized the look on his face. It was similar to the one he saw when Bruce was in love with Andrea Beaumont. He considered cancelling his trip to help prevent the impending disaster. "Do tread carefully, young sir. I don't know how much good I'll do in trying to get you out of this kind of mess."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "When have you ever gotten me out of a mess."

He laughed at the withering look he was thrown.


	3. Chapter 3

For Appearance's Sake

By Teala373

Chapter 3

In our last chapter: Bruce and Barbara are beginning to enjoy pretending to be a couple, which begins to ruffle the feathers of Veronica Vreeland: a pampered socialite determined to bag Bruce. Alfred begins raising concerns about the situation before he leaves to visit his family in England.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Barbara was never quite sure what she was supposed to do after Bruce kissed her, which he made a point of doing every time they appeared in public together. She would always narrow her eyes briefly at him as if to say 'you're still not getting me to break', but mostly it was a defense mechanism because the truth was, she enjoyed it each time.

She enjoyed being his fake girl friend so much, that she was hoping they would be able to keep up the charade for a while. She liked receiving beautiful flower bouquets from him at her office, and receiving parcels at her apartment with designer dresses and jewelry for her to wear to whatever fabulous place he was whisking her off away to next.

It had stopped feeling like play-acting very early on and was beginning to feel very real, but Barbara still wouldn't let Bruce get the best of her. She would never let him know that she really did enjoy their time together because she was positive that it was still all an act to him, that no matter how sweet or genuine he appeared, he was still only pretending. She was still convinced that he was also testing her, making sure she wasn't getting caught up in romantic notions and losing focus on their true goal. She would pass his little tests and prove to him that she was a strong partner.

Little did she know that Bruce's advances were hardly tests.

Although he never let on, Bruce did think about having a meaningful relationship and someone to share his life with. He thought he was asking the impossible, but Barbara was quickly changing his mind.

Of course, it wasn't without complications. Barbara was the daughter of the police commissioner and the ex-girlfriend to his estranged ward, whom he still wasn't on strong speaking terms with. Then, there was Barbara only thinking that this was for appearance's sake and taking his advances as some sort of test.

He smiled as he signed a credit card receipt for a dress and accessories he was sending her for their appearance at the opening night of the opera. he was almost positive that by the way she often responded, especially when he caught her off-guard, was not acting. If Barbara thought he was testing her, he was more than willing to rise to the challenge of proving to her otherwise.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

"So, get this," Barbara whispered to Bruce as they sat in the Wayne Enterprise private box of the Gotham Opera House, "I hacked into Bard's e-mail and found that he's working with someone on the outside to infiltrate Thorn's operations. I can't tell yet if he's playing double agent or not."

"Good work," Bruce whispered back, placing his lips closer enough to her ear to send tingles down her spine. When he saw the desired effect, he smiled before he pulled back and straightened in his chair.

The house lights blinked, signaling that the audience had two minutes to find their seats before the show started. Across the way, Bruce noted Veronica using her opera glasses to see try to scout out who was in attendance. As her glasses began scanning the box seats near theirs, Bruce took the opportunity to further challenge Barbara, though he tried to tell himself it was more for the sake of riling Veronica.

"Did I mention that you look absolutely beautiful tonight?" Bruce whispered in her ear, his lips hovering dangerously close to her neck.

Barbara laughed nervously. "Anyone can look good if they're sent an outfit that cost the equivalent of a small country's capital."

"You can't just take a compliment, can you?" Before she could respond, he placed a sensual kiss low on her neck.

She felt every nerve ending come alive with electricity as she felt his lips and tongue touch the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder. She was certain she was blushing from her toes all the way to the roots of her hair.

But she was not going to give him the satisfaction of swooning.

"You're really starting to get on my last nerve," she huffed.

"Yes, I noticed," he replied smugly.

She looked over at him with sparks of fire in her eyes, but failed to retort.

He met her defiant stare. "You still think this is a test, don't you?"

"Can't you just up my level in the combat sim?"

"Can't you just believe that maybe I'm actually enjoying being your fake boy friend?"

She looked him as though he had grown two heads. "Do you honestly want me to believe that the impenetrable Bruce Wayne is not only actually falling for someone, but that it's me? How stupid do you think I am? I thought you trusted me as your partner? If you didn't like my idea, you could just have told me instead of trying to make me feel like an ass," she hissed in whispered tones.

Grasping her face in his hands, Bruce pulled her forward and kissed her hard, his meaning clear. When he pulled back to look into her flushed face, the lights dimmed and the show began. He sat back in his seat, trying not to smile at himself as he heard her try to catch her breath.

Barbara normally loved opera and classical music, but she found herself rather spacey during the majority of the first act. As it ended, and the famous Vesti la Guibbaaria was sung, she lost herself in the music, spellbound by the actor performing it. She grasped Bruce's hand without realizing it. She had never actually heard the aria performed live, nor had she ever heard it performed so beautifully. Bruce looked over at her and smiled at the expression on her face.

From behind her opera glasses, Veronica scowled. She had spent the majority of the first act watching the other patrons and she was none too pleased at the romantic exchanges of the couple.

"I don't know, dah-ling," her long time friend Pierce whispered in her ear, "I think little Miss Gordon might just be the one to bring ol' Brucie-boy to his knees."

Growling low in the back of her throat, she told Pierce to zip it.

As the curtain fell, Barbara realized what she had done and pulled her hand away from Bruce's as though it had suddenly turned hot. However, he was quicker and grasped her hand back.

"There are a few people we should go say hello to." He kissed her hand before he stood and escorted her out into the lobby on their floor.

Ignoring her buzzing senses, Barbara composed herself and plastered on her best smile as she held her own among Gotham's elite.

A few cracks were made about Bruce dating the commissioner's daughter. Although Jim Gordon was a wonderful, sincere man, he could be incredibly intimidating. Barbara felt bile rise in her throat whenever it was mentioned. She had severely downplayed her relationship with Bruce to her father, telling him it had to do with a business proposal he had hand selected her to work on. While her father liked and respected Bruce, and didn't buy into the majority of the rumors about him, no one was ever good enough for his daughter.

Except Dick Grayson.

Barbara tried to swallow another rise of bile as she laughed at a joke the deputy mayor was making. Her father had adored Dick and had been truly disappointed when their relationship had ended.

"I guess it was bound to happen that he would want to step out from Bruce's shadow," he had said when she broke the news, telling him that Dick had decided to pursue ventures in Bludhaven. "If Gotham's sister city wasn't so vile, I would tell you to go with him."

"I think he means to clean up the city," Barbara mentioned, trying to steady her emotions, "he had been thinking about branching out with his own company, in honor of his parents..."

"Very noble. I'm sure he'll do well. Don't worry, princess, I'm sure this is just a temporary setback."

But it wasn't a temporary setback. It had been the end of something she had been so sure of, that the fall from the top was long and hard.

"I imagine you must get a lot of special treatment, dating the boss and all," Sasha Bordeaux, Wayne Enterprise's VP of Security joked with a wink.

Laughing, Barbara lightly swatted her arm. She liked Sasha and had become friendly with her when she was called into for her technical expertise on new security features. Sasha had quickly recognized that Bruce had hired her into such a high position because she was extremely qualified, not as a favor or social obligation.

"Sadly, no. My projects are still piling up, but the lunch dates are infinitely much better."

Sasha winked. "I'm sure you don't miss your old ham and cheese days in the break room."

Barbara laughed, but inside, she felt a small amount of sadness, remembering that Dick would always meet her at a small cafe on the corner of the block her office was on. They loved sitting in the large, overstuffed couches sipping bad coffee and eating sloppy sandwiches and wraps that reminded them of their college cafeteria days.

She quickly began a new topic of conversation with Sasha, eager to wipe away the memories.

"Brucie!" Both Bruce and Barbara looked up to see Veronica dragging shipping heir Pierce Montague towards them.

Sasha turned so that only Barbara could see her roll her eyes. "I'm sure you know all about _that_ one," she whispered.

Barbara nodded. "Her I can handle. It's Selina Kyle and Talia al Ghul that I can't." She stifled an "ouch" as she felt Bruce dig into her side. She looked up at him with mock innocence, causing Sasha to smile knowingly when she noticed how it cracked Bruce's glare into a sly grin.

"How are you enjoying the opera, darling?" Veronica asked Bruce when she reached him.

"Probably not as well as you are," Bruce replied, knowing full well that Veronica hardly paid attention. "You remember Barbara, don't you," he gestured to his date that he held securely on his arm.

Veronica's eyes steeled over, but she quickly recomposed herself. "Of course I do. Wonderful to see you again, dear."

Barbara smiled and made pleasantries, cutting in effectively every time Veronica tried to address Bruce. An impressed Sasha joined the conversation, wanting to see what else Barbara was capable of.

"So, how long have you and Pierce been dating," Barbara asked with sincerity, pretending to be oblivious that the other woman was always making a play for Bruce.

"Oh no, dear, Pierce and I don't date, we just escort each other about, you know."

"No, I don't," Barbara replied, laying on the innocence routine pretty thick, "is it how Bruce and I 'escort' each other, or is more of an open 'escort' relationship?"

Both Pierce and Bruce coughed to cover up their nervous laughs. Sasha, however, laughed outright, while Veronica turned red.

"I don't believe that's a very appropriate topic of conversation," Veronica practically hissed.

Barbara simply shrugged. "My apologies," the lights then blinked, signaling that the intermission was coming to a close, "if you'll excuse us, we must be getting back to our seats. It's always nice to meet a _friend_ of Bruce's."

Smiling, Bruce nodded politely and led Barbara back to their box, leaving a fuming Veronica in their wake.

"Who does that little minx think she is?" they heard her silently shriek to Pierce.

"Well played," he whispered to Barbara as they took their seats," though you do need to watch that temper of yours."

Barbara flashed eyes that could turn Medusa to stone on him. "Look, we may not actually be dating, but she doesn't know that. She could be a little more respectful. It's getting exhausting trying to thwart her pathetic attempts all the time. How do you put up with it?"

"Chai tea and meditation."

"Very funny."

"I'm serious."

"You're never serious."

He turned and gave her an incredulous look.

She snickered. "You know what I mean... when you're like this you're never serious. When you're playing this part you're never serious."

Leaning over, he surprised her with another kiss. "I'm very serious about you."

She narrowed her eyes at him as she always did and turned her attention towards the stage. She didn't protest when he took her hand in his and held it throughout the remainder of the performance.


	4. Chapter 4

For Appearance's Sake

By Teala373

Chapter 4

In our last chapter: Barbara thinks that Bruce's attempts to turn their pretend relationship into a real one is a test and spurns his advances. As they continue to try and discover Jason Bard's true intentions, Barbara continues to reminisce about her former relationship with Dick Grayson and what her future with Bruce might hold.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Bruce stood with his back to his desk, staring out the large window that overlooked the sprawling Wayne grounds. He heard Barbara enter from the cave entrance behind the grandfather clock, but he did not turn.

"I have the technical analysis that you and Lucius need for Monday's meeting, and I have all the background files on Bard. I think you're right about him playing three sides." He heard her drop a file folder on his desk. "Do you want me to keep researching, or start another training session?"

His back still to her, Bruce turned his head slightly. "You still think that I'm not serious."

Sighing, she came up alongside him. "I guess that means training."

"I wish you would take me more seriously," he turned his head to look back out the window. "You're the one person I can share all of who I am with. You're the one person that knows all of me… that understands."

"Bruce," confusion touched her face, "I have absolutely no idea who you are. I mean, I understand how you were affected by what happened, and what drives you, but… everything else… I don't know what you like, what you dislike… when the cowl's off, it's like you're playing a role. I don't know who the real Bruce Wayne is."

This time, when he turned, he turned his whole body towards her. When his eyes set upon her, she saw, for the first time, the real Bruce Wayne. "I don't have to pretend with you. I don't have to hide. I don't have to be something I'm not. You're the only one that could ever understand."

Something inside her cracked, and she felt like crying, but she couldn't. Her emotions were somewhat stalled. She swallowed a large lump in her throat and tried to control her spinning mind. "I… I don't know… we're so different, yet so the same… you've taught me how to control so much of what I have inside, but…" her eyes became very sad and she looked down. "Does it ever stop? I… I can't just… I can't just do this forever…"

He took a step closer to her, knowing what was coming next.

"Sometimes, I don't know what's worse… having my real parents dead… or wondering if each day is the last for my father..." she looked up at him with sad eyes, "I am sure you know that my father is actually my uncle… and what happened to my biological parents…"

He nodded. "Yes."

A look of being lost and overwhelmed accompanied her sadness. "I… I still remember them. I can see them like it was yesterday… and then there is the fear that I will lose my father in the same way…"

And then he saw it. He could tell the crack within her was growing. He stepped forward and enclosed her in his arms. She trembled as she made small noises that resembled crying, though tears hadn't yet fallen.

"It never goes away," he said softly, reaching up a hand to stoke her hair soothingly, "but it does get better if you let people in… it… it took me such a long time to realize that." He sighed as he tightened his hold on her. "You opened a door I never thought could be opened. You showed me that there is a balance to both sides… Barbara… I think we can heal the wounds of our past… together."

While keeping one hand around her waist, he used his other hand to tilt her chin up. Though her eyes were still sad, he could see she was affected by his words and knew he was sincere. Leaning down he softly and delicately kissed her lips. When she responded, he deepened the kiss and pulled her closer.

An intense warmth flooded over him, and it felt good to begin feeling such emotions that he had quashed for so long. There had been a couple of women that he thought he could love, but none of them knew all of him. None of them shared his vision. None of them truly healed him as Barbara was. This was different. She was different.

The feeling was so good, it was all too easy to ignore the rising guilt that this was the much beloved ex-girlfriend of a man he had called his son.

For once, Bruce was selfish.

They both lost themselves in the kiss as it became more and more passionate. Their hands began roaming up and down spines and through hair. Barbara pulled back slightly, gasping for air, but Bruce was relentless. He only allowed her a few short gasps before he ascended upon her again. He began teasing her, sucking and pulling her bottom lip, then her top one. He then ran the tip of his tongue across them both and allowed her a few more desperate gasps of air before he covered her mouth with his own impatiently.

Barbara felt as though she were being consumed by fire. Her toes curled as she felt her blood bubble and race through her veins. She had been kissed before, but never like this – never quite so hungrily and erotically. When Bruce began slowing his assault, and pulled back enough to look into her eyes, she felt the world spin beneath her and would have fallen to the ground in a melted puddle of flesh and bones, but his arms where very securely around her.

He then scooped her up in his arms and carried her through the main rooms and up the staircase. Not a word passed between them, though Barbara could swear she could hear the electricity crackle between them. Her heart thundered in her chest as it dawned on her that he was taking her to his bedroom.

He boldly set her down on his bed, telling her to relax. He sensed her exhaustion and didn't want to push her too far. Of course, his choice of where he brought her was still sending a very clear message.

"I'll make us something to eat."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"What? You think I don't know how to get along without Alfred?"

She pursed her lips together, attempting not to laugh. "I'm guessing I'm in for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

He smiled and she saw how it changed his face to see him so genuine. "Lucky for you, I graduated to grilled cheese."

She shifted slightly as he began to exit. "Do you mind if I take a shower? It helps me relax."

He gestured towards the attached bathroom. "Help yourself. There's a small linen closet with fresh towels and you can just borrow any of the robes from the closet."

"Thanks." She felt a strange tingly feeling from how comfortable and intimate it had all become so fast.

After he left, she tried very hard not to think about any of it, concentrating instead on her exact tasks of going about her shower. She wasn't surprised to find the softest, fluffiest towels in the linen closet, or the most expensive soaps and shampoos in the shower stall.

Before she started the water, she took a stroll through his closet, which she guessed was bigger than her entire apartment, and tried to find a robe. She found herself going through his clothes, touching the material as she passed, wondering if he just picked out what people expected him to wear, or if any of them actually catered to his tastes.

She found a thick, ribbed turtleneck in a dark grey color that she thought suited him well, and a few Gotham Knights sweatshirts. His dress shirts seemed to fascinate her the most, mainly because there were so many of them, in every color and style imaginable.

"Hm, I don't remember him dong the Regis look," she mused aloud, noting a few bold, silk color shirts that exactly matched solid ties on the tie rack.

Lingering on the vast array of plain, white dress shirts, she absent-mindedly took one off the hanger and into the bathroom with her.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Bruce was actually no stranger around a kitchen, having lived years on his own in various parts of the world under assumed aliases. He went about making pasta with vegetables and a light sauce. He thought that would be a good, comforting meal, plus he wanted to one-up the allure that all he could manage without his trusted butler and surrogate father were sandwiches.

He smiled to himself as he prepared the meal, feeling for the first time in a long time, a sense of normalcy, comfort and even a bit of wholeness. It was such a wonderful, even addicting set of feelings, that it was once again easy to ignore the lingering guilt over his estranged son.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Barbara couldn't remember the last time she had enjoyed a shower so much. Bruce's personal shower was top of the line, equipped with 6 showerheads set to varying degrees of pressure. For a long time, she just stood there, letting the water wash over her. When she finally lathered herself with soap and shampoo, the luxurious fragrances cast every negative thought from her mind.

When she finally emerged, she felt both relaxed and refreshed. After drying herself, she found herself dressing in Bruce's white dress shirt that she had brought with her from the closet. Finding a comb of his, she began working out the tangles in her hair. When she set down the comb, she noted Bruce's initials embroidered on the cuff of his sleeve. Smiling, she traced over them with her fingers. She hadn't missed his meaning when he so purposely brought her here to rest after her knees gave way as their soul-piercing kiss had ended.

Thinking of the kiss caused butterflies to dance in her stomach and her heartbeat to quicken. She was half dazed in the memory when she acknowledged someone standing outside the bathroom door.

"I hope you don't mind that I borrowed one of your shirts. I know it's a dress shirt, but..."

She turned away from the sink to look at him, but her serene, content, and even slightly love-struck expression quickly turned to panic.

It wasn't Bruce.

Barbara was staring into the very angry eyes of Dick Grayson.


	5. Chapter 5

For Appearance's Sake

By Teala373

Chapter 5

In our last chapter: After an excruciating emotional moment with Bruce, Barbara is taken to his bedroom where she showers in an attempt to relax. As she thinks about the intense kiss they shared, she turns to see an angry Dick Grayson standing before her.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Bruce stopped halfway up the stairs with the tray of food in his hands and smiled. He had just caught himself humming an old Billie Holiday tune as he headed back to his bedroom. There were days when he felt shackled to his fate, but now, he felt free.

Continuing up the stairs, he was almost to his bedroom door when he sensed that something wasn't right. Quickening his pace, he set the tray on a dresser and headed for the bathroom. Barbara lay unconscious on the floor, wearing what appeared to be one of his dress shirts.

Kneeling beside her, he checked her pulse, breathing, and her eyes. He raised her knees up to increase her blood flow and then dampened a washcloth for her forehead.

"Barbara?" he called in a firm, but gentle tone as he cradled her in his arms.

She stirred slightly, a small groan escaping her pale lips.

"Barbara?" He adjusted the cloth on her forehead and tapped her cheeks to rouse her.

She blinked repeatedly before her eyes opened fully. She looked at him with an expression he couldn't quite gage.

"Are you alright?"

She simply stared at him for a few moments before finding her voice. "Wh-what happened?"

"You fainted. How's your head?"

"I feel… strange…"

He ran his head over the back of her head. "Does this hurt?"

"No…"

He carried her back to his bed and settled her underneath the sheets. He propped up two pillows behind her head and removed the washcloth.

"Do you remember what happened?" He applied the cool washcloth to the back of her neck and wrists, trying to sooth her pressure points.

"I… I was combing my hair… then I turned and… everything got hazy…" she paused, breaking eye contact. She didn't want to tell him that she thought she saw Dick.

He knew something was wrong, but he didn't want to press her. "Relax. Maybe eating something will help."

He wondered how long she had gone since her last meal. He knew she always kept nutrition supplements in her utility belt for times when missions ran long; maybe she had overextended herself between the research and everything that had just happened.

She feigned displeasure as she was presented with a steaming bowl of pasta. "Hey, I was looking forward to grilled cheese."

"Sorry to disappoint you,"

She took a bite and smiled. "Trust me, I'm not disappointed. This is great!"

He sat beside her and they ate in relative silence, making occasional small talk until they were finished.

Bruce cleared away the dishes on the tray and set them back on his dresser. "Alfred would kill me if he ever knew I didn't bring those straight down to the kitchen sink."

She laughed and looked at him expectantly, wondering what was to happen next.

"Stay here and rest. I'm going to work downstairs," he stated, meaning the cave.

"Thanks again for dinner… and taking care of me."

He stepped over to the side of the bed and brushed her damp bangs from her forehead. "Anytime," he looked deeply into her eyes for several moments before letting his gaze wander down. "You look good in that shirt. Better than I do."

She blushed and it made his heart swell to see her look so lovely. He leaned down and placed a delicate kiss on her lips before leaving the room.

Settling down into the plush pillows, Barbara closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Bruce ran a few searches and queries against what Barbara had presented him before suiting up and starting rounds.

He was able to keep his mind clear as he swung across the rooftops of Gotham. The city was quiet of major villains, many of them locked away in Arkham Asylum, but that didn't free Gotham of crime.

He managed to stop three robberies, five muggings, two attempted rapes, a drunk driver, a domestic disturbance, two muggings, a car jacking, and a jumper from an apartment building. By the time he returned and recorded his work in the computer, it was nearing six o'clock in the morning.

Stepping into the shower installed in the back of the cave, his mind finally wandered to the events of the previous evening. He had always been the kind of man that knew what he wanted and pursued it. He wondered if he was moving too fast for Barbara. He was concerned over her emotional state and how she had fainted. He resolved to take it slower and not pressure her with anything. However, the thought her of sleeping in his bed, wearing nothing but one of his dress shirts, was incredibly tempting.

Just as he rinsed off the last of soap and shampoo away, a random memory entered his mind. He saw the party Veronica Vreeland had thrown a year and half ago at the revamped Gotham Plaza ballroom. In the center of the dance floor were Dick and Barbara, laughing as they spun each other around. Dick then dipped Barbara low and when he brought her back up, it was impossible to miss the love and passion between them. Pulling her close, he kissed her before twirling her around the dance floor again.

Shutting off the water, Bruce shook his head slightly, trying to erase the memory from his mind. Unfortunately, thoughts of Dick and Barbara, happy together, continued to flood him as he dried off and dressed.

Climbing up the stairs, he wondered why everything was always so complicated.

When he reached his room, he watched Barbara sleep, briefly running his hands through her hair. As much as longed to climb into bed beside her, he opted for a comfortable chair in the corner of the room.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Barbara awoke feeling refreshed, though her heart was still conflicted as thoughts of both Bruce and Dick confused her.

Rubbing the sleep from he eyes, she clumsily stood from the large bed and stretched. Entering the bathroom, she saw that Bruce had laid out a new toothbrush for her, as well as fresh clothes for her. She smiled, realizing he had stopped by her apartment on his patrol. She took her time dressing. Her muscles felt sluggish and she was in no particular hurry.

In the kitchen, she found a fresh pot of coffee and breakfast waiting for her. She ate slowly, thinking about what she would say to Bruce when she saw him. She couldn't deny the raw, sexual passion that sizzled between them, but she still couldn't stop thinking about Dick.

Dick had been her first love, though he hadn't been her first crush, or her first boyfriend. He was so achingly perfect to her that she was almost positive that he was the one. When he left, it had destroyed her, but she persevered and continued fighting alongside Batman. She kept thinking Dick would come back, back to their team… back to her…

But, he never did.

Though Bruce never told her, she knew he was operating as Nightwing in Bludhaven. He had a new life, a new job, and new friends. He had moved on and never looked back. So, why couldn't she?

Sighing, she brought her plates to the sink and began rinsing them out. Somewhere, deep inside, she still loved him, but she had to face the cold, hard truth: he was never coming back.

As she headed down to the cave, she managed to convince herself to move forward and to leave Dick Grayson buried deep within her memory.

"How are you feeling?" Bruce asked from his chair at the computer console as he heard her walk up behind him.

"Much better. Thank you for breakfast."

He turned and smiled at her. "I came up with a few more interesting pieces of information on Jason Bard, but I have to make an appearance at the office."

"You? Work on a Saturday?" She made an incredulous face. "Won't your minions drop over in shock that you're not christening a new golf course, or something?"

Standing, he stood close to her, backing her into the console, with a devilish gleam in his eye. "I'm sure they will be surprised that I'm not spending the day with the beautiful redhead I'm dating, but I do need to catch up on a few things."

Blushing, Barbara ducked her head. "I can finish working on the research while you're gone."

He gently tilted her face to his and captured her lips with his own. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he promised, "and then we can talk more."

Barbara swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded in affirmation.

Leaning down, he touched his forehead to hers affectionately. "It doesn't have to be difficult, Barbara," he whispered, "we'll take it slow," he pulled back and smiled at her slyly. "I can't have you falling over every time I kiss you like that."

She laughed, albeit nervously, and blushed a deeper red. "It's… I don't know… so different to see you… like this…"

"It's different for me, too," he admitted, "but I see now…"

He didn't have to say anymore, she knew what he meant. She reached up and kissed him, pouring forth everything she could to make him realize that she understood.


	6. Chapter 6

For Appearance's Sake

By Teala373

Chapter 6

In our last chapter: Though they are still haunted by thoughts of Dick Grayson, Bruce and Barbara agree to slowly embark on a relationship. Bruce decides to make an appearance at the office while Barbara continues with case research.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Veronica Vreeland had been up early, working on her latest charitable foundation when she decided to break for an early lunch. As her car stopped at a red light, she turned to see that she was alongside an Aston Martin with Bruce Wayne in the driver's seat.

"Brucie!" she called out the window, "You haven't accepted any of my dinner invitations. I told Alfred I'd watch out for you while he's off in England."

"Thanks, Ronnie, but Barbara's been taking of me."

Stiffening slightly, Veronica did her best to smile politely. "I'm sure she has, Brucie, dear, but you know I can take so much better care of you than she can."

He smiled slyly. "I don't think you can," the light turned green. "Gotta go, Ronnie; need to get to the office."

Veronica scowled as he sped off. She was not going to lose Gotham's greatest conquest to a lousy orphan adopted by a cop. Good breeding should be matched with good breeding, and Veronica did not consider Barbara Gordon good breeding.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Most people knew that Bruce Wayne was a good businessman and philanderer, but he was still considered a flaky playboy that preferred pleasure over business. His great business sense and ideas seemed isolated only to his dealings of Wayne Enterprises, when he bothered to be involved. Most saw only his social accomplishments, letting the success of the Wayne empire be attributed to those he had take charge in his place, most notably Lucius Fox.

It was a surprise to everyone but Lucius when Bruce walked into Wayne Towers and ascended to his office. Lucius was no longer fazed or surprised by anything Bruce did anymore. As a matter of fact, Lucius had long since seen passed the façade. He knew that Bruce was smarter than anyone would ever give him credit for, and that he had a higher purpose that called him away.

Lucius wasn't entirely sure what that purpose was, but when Bruce made small talk with him about Barbara Gordon, Lucius could tell that Barbara was part of that higher purpose as well. Barbara was not arm candy, or a conquest, or something used to keep an image in tact. She was someone who also saw through the façade, but unlike Lucius, she knew exactly what lie beneath it.

"Did you have a chance to look over the proposal from Kord, Inc?"

A more serious look took hold of Bruce as he sat behind his desk. "While the proposal seems sound, I would like a meeting with members of Kord to discuss it further."

Lucius smiled knowingly. "Agreed. I will have something set up. I am glad our instincts match on this. I am not completely sold on the integrity of this proposal as well."

Nodding Bruce, removed a folder from his briefcase. "I also found some areas of concern in the R&D division I wanted to discuss with you."

Taking a seat opposite him, Lucius nodded. People could say what they wanted about Bruce Wayne, but he would always know that he truly was as sharp as they came. "Fire away."

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Barbara's research wasn't adding up as neatly as she would have liked. Compiling all of the data, she decided it would be best to take a break and go over her findings with Bruce when he returned.

As she prepared a light snack, she began to daydream. She thought about dressing again in one of Bruce's dress shirts and waiting for him in his room. She knew he would be home before dinnertime and they would have plenty of time before patrol. She knew what he wanted from her, and there was strong desire within her to give in to those feelings.

He had said they could take it slow, and she knew that was for her benefit, for the doubts he had picked up on. Yet, she thought she no longer had those doubts. Dick had moved on without her, and now she would move on without giving him another thought.

Lust and passion are very powerful forces, especially when a heart was filled with loneliness and sorrow. The usual patient and rational mind of Barbara Gordon was now eager and impulsive. As she made her way up to the master bedroom, she began to imagine what it would like to lie in Bruce's bed again, but this time not alone.

She managed to conjure up all kinds of erotic images as she entered the closet. It fueled the cravings within her as she hurried to the section where she remembered the white dress shirts were hanging.

Her body flushed warm as her imagination kept feeding her more and more sensual images. She took a shirt off the hanger just as a particularly wicked thought crossed her mind.

She walked into the bathroom and removed the simple pullover she had on, replacing it with the dress shirt. As she fastened each button, her thoughts continued to run a mile a minute. Suddenly, her daydream changed. As the Bruce in her daydreams lifted his head from her neck to look at her, her mind's eye saw that it wasn't Bruce at all.

The man she had been imagining making love to her was actually Dick Grayson.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

When Bruce returned home, he went straight upstairs to change into more comfortable clothes. He figured Barbara was still working in the cave and he could wait ten minutes before seeing her. As he entered his bedroom, he noted that the light to his bathroom was on. As he neared the door, he saw Barbara sitting on the floor. She was wearing one of his dress shirts again, the material of her short black skirt peeking beneath it.

"Barbara?"

She looked up, but she didn't quite meet his eyes. "I… I wanted to surprise you… I know you said we would take it slow, but I wanted to be with you… but… I'm not ready still…"

He knelt beside her and stroked the side of her face gently. "Hey," he began softly, "it's alright."

"I feel like such an idiot…"

He leaned forward and touched his lips to hers. "I'm just happy to find you in my shirt again."

She smiled. "I found out some interesting information on the Bard-Thorn case."

He settled on the floor next to her. "Well, this seems like a good as place as any to have a meeting."

It was still odd to her to see him so relaxed and laid back. She liked seeing this side of him and it brightened her smile.

"It took a lot of digging, but I found out that Jason Bard is actually a private investigator hired to infiltrate Thorn's gang and find out what their interest is in big corporations. However, Bard has his own beef with Thorn. Turns out that our dear Jason Bard did some digging on his own case, on the man that shot him when he was part of the Gotham police force. He traced the man who shot him back to Rupert Thorn's gang. I think Bard wants revenge as well as a paycheck."

"Do you know who it is that hired Bard?"

Barbara smiled knowingly. "You're going to love this: Ted Kord."

Bruce's brow furrowed. "This complicates matters considerably."

"You have no idea," Barbara continued, "I think we should use the proposal from Kord, Inc. to get closer to the source. There's more to Ted Kord than meets the eye. I think this is more than Kord wanting information on if Thorn is going to hit up his company again."

"Oh?" Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"I don't have definite proof, but I think Ted Kord practices a little vigilantism of his own. I just don't think he has quite the resources you do and hires a lot of outsiders for his information."

"What kind of vigilantism do you think he's involved in?"

Barbara smiled slyly. "Let's just say that he discovered a very interesting artifact on an archeological dig."

Now both of Bruce's eyebrows shot up. "Blue Beetle?"

"Yeah, I know."

Bruce stood and extended his hand to her. "Can you show me what you found?"

Standing, Barbara quickly tugged on her skirt before following him. "You had to pick my shortest skirt, didn't you?"

Bruce half turned to shoot her a devilish smile as he continued making his way down towards the cave.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Bruce was highly impressed with what Barbara was unable to uncover. Her computer prowess surpassed his own and allowed for a large break in their case.

He stood behind her as she sat at the computer console and displayed her findings. It had initially been a bit distracting as he had a perfect view of Barbara looking especially tempting in his white shirt, matched with the short black skirt that allowed her long, alluring legs to be on display. He had spent years conditioning his mind to not be persuaded by distraction. It took adjusting for him to rebalance himself as new doors within him opened.

"If you engage Kord and his VPs in a meeting, I can see what else I can uncover from the hardcopy files in his office."

"Agreed. Tonight, we will pay a visit to his home office. He has tickets to the opera tonight, but we are going to pass our tickets off."

Before Barbara could respond, a series of beeps sounded, alerting them that the entrance to the cave from the woods surrounding Wayne manor was opening, and that there was an incoming vehicle. The both braced themselves, knowing what that meant.

No words passed between them as Barbara began updating their case file with their decision. She barely contained the shudder that ran through her as Nightwing's cycle pulled into the docking bay.

"I think I found something of yours," Nightwing began as he removed his helmet.

Bruce stood, arms crossed, blocking Nightwing from leaving the bay and crossing over into the main floor of the cave.

"How have you been?" he asked flatly.

"Fine," he replied just as flatly, removing a small disk from his utility belt. "Had some Thorn scum operating in Bludhaven. While investigating, I realized I was crossing paths with a case you had already started."

Sidestepping Bruce, Dick walked up to the terminal, ignoring Barbara, and reached over her to insert the disk into the console.

"What are you wearing?" he asked as he glanced down at her.

"Where have you been?" she asked dryly, not tearing her eyes away from the screen.

He opened his mouth, but Bruce stepped up behind Barbara's chair. "What did you find?"

Barbara slid her chair over, allowing Nightwing access to the controls. He showed that Thorn's men weren't actually getting their orders from Thorn. Someone else was running the operation and Thorn's whereabouts were unknown.

"They were working with a drug cartel that I've been after for a couple of months. I need to get back to Bludhaven to finish cleaning them out, but I at least wanted to give you this."

"You could have just sent this," Bruce half observed, half accused in his authoritative tone.

If Nightwing was sensing any hostility, he was choosing to ignore it. "I'm not sorry I left… it was time. However, I think it is time we worked together again."

Bruce knew that somewhere in there was a veiled apology and a thousand words of a conversation they should have had long ago. As complicated as the situation had become, he would not deny reconciliation with his son.

"Very well." Bruce filled in Nightwing on Barbara's findings before altering the original plan. "Batgirl will investigate Kord's home office, while I try to find out more information on Thorn within Gotham. As you know Bludhaven best, why don't you return there and see what else you can discover. If you need help with the drug cartel, contact me and I will come out."

"Alright," Nightwing pulled off his mask, wincing as the spirit gum that held it in place pulled at his skin. "I assume we're waiting for nightfall. Do you want to grab something to eat and, uh, catch up before we start?"

Barbara stood abruptly, smoothing out her skirt in an attempt to cover more of her legs. "I actually have a few errands to run first. You two catch up and I'll be at Kord's house after he leaves." Without waiting for a response, she disappeared up the cave stairs.

Sighing, Dick dropped into the chair she had been occupying. "Well, that went well."

Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Bruce tried to remain composed. "You barely acknowledged her, except to criticize her apparel. You could have at least said 'hello'."

Dick shrugged. "I didn't say hello to you."

"You don't have to with me. We may have our disagreements, but we also have our understandings."

"I thought Barbara and I had understandings…"

"You and Barbara _had _a different relationship."

Dick looked up at Bruce oddly when he put emphasis on the word 'had'. "Was that one of your shirts she was wearing?"

Unwavering, Bruce replied. "She stayed at the manor last night; she fell ill."

Concern flooded the younger man's face. "Is she alright?"

"She had an emotional evening. Part of it was a conversation we were having that led into her talking about her parents… her real parents."

"Yeah… that was probably pretty rough…"

The two men were silent for several moments.

"I'm sorry if I was too hard on you, and not more of a father figure. I was… very focused on your training and discipline because I was always afraid you would walk down a path I all too easily almost went down. I wanted something better for you."

Sighing, Dick began fiddling with the adjustments on the chair. "Hey, it's just as much my fault. I could have talked to you more about how I was feeling. I didn't mean to go so over the edge… I just whacked out when I saw how Barbara was involved and that you knew about her being Batgirl… I know this is gong to sound stupid, but… I felt like you were somehow taking her away from me. In my warped perception of reality, it was the last straw… I always got all crazy when it came to her…."

Bruce did not respond.

"Anyway," Dick continued, "I would at least like to have a working relationship. I know I've completely screwed up what we had, but I mean, we were like best friends for a really long time. I can't throw that away, you know."

Bruce nodded, but still did not respond.

"Well, enough of the heavy stuff," bouncing up from the chair, he began to head for the stairs, "let's order from that Thai place off Fourth, near Main. I have a lot of stuff to tell you."

Bruce numbly followed Dick upstairs and sat silently in one of the kitchen chairs as Dick ordered one of everything off the menu and then began chatting away about his exploits in Bludhaven.

"I've been pretty focused on my work, so no real time for play. I have this new workout routine to really increase my upper body strength for when I use the gliders," he sat down with a large glass of milk, and tipped the chair back on two legs, as he always did as a child. "I've kept up on most of your cases, but what's new on the Wayne front? Any new acquisitions? Dating anyone new?"

Bruce was almost positive that he felt himself pale considerably. "This case and a big proposal from Kord, Inc have been keeping me pretty busy."

The topic then changed, but the wheels in the back of Bruce's mind were turning. He knew he had to be honest with Dick, but he also knew that now wasn't exactly the best time, either.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Barbara shook as she tried to put on her Kevlar gloves. She had not been prepared for seeing Dick Grayson so soon, and she was upset with herself for how she was reacting. She was angry with him still: angry that he had left and that he was so casual in his return. He had barely acknowledged her, let alone greeted her or apologized for how things had ended between them. She also couldn't stop the way his mere presence excited her as much as it angered her. He was still devilishly handsome, and she was happy to see that he had cut his hair. She had hated it grown out long.

She quickly shook the thoughts from her brain as she secured her gear and made her way to the rooftop of her building. She decided against using the batcycle and to instead hoof it over to Kord's house to work off her nervous energy.

Her nerves, however, were in for another beating.

"Hey!"

She nearly jumped as she spun around to see Nightwing standing a few feet away from her near the roof's ledge. 

"I don't remember you ever being so jumpy," he smiled and stepped closer, "something on your mind?"

Her heart was thundering in her throat and she was having difficulty swallowing. "Nothing more than usual," she managed to say, "if you'll excuse me, I have to be going…"

"Wait, please."

She paused in her movements, but her insides were trembling. "Yes."

"Batgirl… I'm sorry about earlier… I didn't mean for it to go like that. I… I don't want it to be this way between us."

"It's fine." She prepared to fire her jump line when he came up behind her and gently placed his gloved hand over her own.

"It's not fine. I'm sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen."

"Neither did I."

He backed up a step. "What do you mean?"

She shot out her line and prepared to jump. "I have to go. Don't worry. We don't have to talk about it."

And then she disappeared into the night.

Nightwing sighed as he prepared to make his way back to Bludhaven. He would never know how many landings she almost missed, or how many buildings she almost crashed into that night over her wayward thoughts of him.


	7. Chapter 7

For Appearance's Sake

By Teala373

Chapter 7

In our last chapter: Dick visits the cave looking to reconcile, moments after a delicate moment between Bruce and Barbara. While Bruce and Dick talk, Barbara doesn't handle the situation well and heads off on her assignment.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

There was a slight tremble in her hands as she swiftly swept through Ted Kord's home office. It took every concentration and meditation technique she knew to keep her mind as focused as possible.

"You really got yourself in a mess this time," she mumbled softly to herself as she copied files onto her portable drive and desperately tried not to think about Dick Grayson.

But it was nearly impossible.

The information she was finding was extremely valuable towards their case and would help them finally put all the puzzle pieces together, yet she could barely bring herself to care. Her body was almost in automatic mode as she continued collecting evidence. Her mind could not wholly concentrate on the situation as stray thoughts of times with Bruce and times with Dick flooded her consciousness.

As angry as she was with Dick, she could not let go of all the good memories they had built together. Yet, at the same time, she had such a strong connection with Bruce. He was safe, comfortable and helped her fill a void. She was so conflicted, and the situation was so complicated that she felt bile rise in her throat.

No matter what happened, this wasn't going to end well.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Ted Kord hadn't expected Bruce Wayne to be intimidating, but as he sat across from him, he couldn't help but to feel his nerve ends buzzing. He wasn't surprised that Bruce Wayne was tall, well built, and a brilliant businessman. However, he hadn't expected a man who always seemed so care free to be frowning as though he were going to take out his anger on everyone that came within a five-mile radius of him. There were times when their eyes would lock and he would swear Bruce was boring holes straight through his brain.

"I will not agree unless alterations cannot be made without both our signatures on a formal contract in agreement of said changes," Bruce practically thundered as the lawyers and executives tried to conclude the proceedings.

"Bruce, if you are worried about using the final products for warfare, I can assure you…"

"I want it in writing," he almost shouted, causing Lucius Fox to jump a little in his seat.

Swallowing a large lump in his throat, Ted Kord began instructing his lawyers to draw up a new contract. As negotiations quickly fell upon the table, Ted couldn't help but to feel that only part of Bruce's hostilities were directed towards him; something else had angered the great head of the Wayne empire.

"God help them," Ted Kord mumbled low to himself as he signed a preliminary agreement that was passed to him.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

"So let me get this straight," Dick started as he leaned against the map cabinet in the batcave, "Ted Kord is the Blue Beetle and is trying to bring down Rupert Thorn. He hired a detective because he… well, he's not us… but the detective took the case as another level of revenge he is taking out on Rupert Thorn."

"Close enough," Barbara muttered as she continued entering and archiving her findings into the computer.

"We still don't know who is running Thorn's operation, or where he is," Bruce concluded as he stepped forward in a subconscious effort to create a barrier between Dick and Barbara.

"I think Kord knows, and that's why he's interested in taking Thorn's operation down," Barbara continued. "I couldn't find anything solid, but there's no reason why the Blue Beetle would be involved. He doesn't normally operate inside Gotham. As Ted Kord, he's only visited the Gotham office of Kord, Inc. three times."

Bruce nodded thoughtfully. "We have to get to the bottom of what is going on inside Thorn's operation." He turned towards Dick. "Were you able to find out any further information from the Thorn operative working in Bludhaven."

"Nada" Dick shook his head, "but I'm going to head back tonight and do a little more digging." He leaned his head to the side to look around Bruce at Barbara. "You wanna come with? I could use some help."

Barbara began to open her mouth, but Bruce cut in. "I need Barbara to investigate Bard one last time while I try to find more information on who is leading Thorn's gang."

Dick narrowed his eyes slightly. For the first time since he had returned, he sensed that Bruce was shielding Barbara. He didn't want to start an argument, but he wasn't going to drop his suspicions entirely. "Alright," he agreed slowly, "I'm thinking maybe two or three nights and then I'll check in."

Bruce nodded his head in agreement. A silence hung in the air that grew so thick with tension, Barbara stopped typing, feeling that the gentle clicking of the keyboard was the loudest sound in the world at that moment.

"Alright then, so, I'll, uh, go check things out in Bludhaven, and, uh, will see you soon," Dick cleared his throat and began heading towards his bike.

"Call if you need anything," Bruce offered.

Dick turned back to ask him a couple of questions. He noticed that as he moved, Bruce would move, effectively blocking his view of Barbara. Dick cleared his throat again, but this time, it was to help him swallow the rising bile of rage in his throat.

"Hey, before I go, can you check out these new mods on the bike?"

Bruce turned to check on Barbara, who had resumed her typing. Seeing that she appeared to be fine, he headed across the stone and metal bridge to the vehicle area of the cave.

"What's with the Papa Bear routine?" Dick whispered as he showed Bruce the features on his custom engine. "I'm not going to screw things up with Barbara this time. I'm trying to…"

"I don't think this is the best time," Bruce interrupted as he noted the controls in the bike's handles. "Did you install this arsenal yourself?"

Dick nodded. "Yeah, it took me weeks to get it because I had to route it through five different vendors. Anyway, I don't want things to be so difficult all the time. I know I shouldn't have left the way I did, but I apologized and I'm going to make it up to her."

"I don't know if things can just go back to the way they were…"

"I want her back."

Bruce looked up to see how serious Dick's expression was. He couldn't say anything as the words stuck in his throat.

"I… I had a lot of time to think while I've been on my own," Dick continued, "I know now who I am and what I am meant to do and what I want to do. The only thing that's missing is Barbara. I need her."

"But I don't need you."

Both men turned around to see Barbara standing on the opposite side of the bridge, her body stiff and rigid, and her face conveying clear frustration. "It doesn't matter how low you talk, there's a bad echo in the cave." She spun on her heel and headed for the stairs.

Dick let out a sigh as he put on his mask. "Well… I guess I'm off."

Before Bruce could say anything, Dick hopped on his bike and was heading out the vehicle entrance of the cave that lead to the woods behind Wayne manor.

Bruce stood in the same spot for a very long time before he headed back up the stairs. Barbara had fallen asleep on the couch, tear tracks evident on her cheeks. Bruce sat on the ottoman across from the couch and watched her, conflicted over what he should do.

He had never meant for any of this to happen.

Resting his elbows on his knees, he set his head in his hands and closed his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had a headache that wasn't caused by being thrown across a room or from a speeding truck.

"I don't want to go back, but… I can't stop remembering…"

He looked up to see Barbara crystalline eyes gazing back at his. Though she was looking at him, she seemed very far away.

"I know."

"I should probably talk to him… tell him the truth…"

Bruce stood. "I'll talk to him. Stay here and rest." He turned and began walking towards the large grandfather clock.

She lifted herself up from the couch. "But… but what about Bard? Don't you want me to…"

"It can wait."

She was shocked. Bruce was always very determined when it came to their work. He always set aside personal issues and obligations for his work. She remembered the hours and hours of learning meditation techniques to help her relax and concentrate so that she had no excuses when it came to her rounds or assignments.

But now, everything was different.

She ran after him, catching his hand and forcing him to turn and look at her. "I'm sorry!" she chocked out breathlessly.

He looked at her with concern and confusion. "Sorry? What for?"

Tears welled up in her eyes and her lower lip trembled slightly. "I'm sorry I messed everything up. This is all my fault! If I hadn't gotten upset at Veronica's party when Bard showed up…"

He enclosed her in a strong embrace. "You never have to be sorry. You didn't ruin anything," he closed his eyes and rested his head atop of hers, "I did that all on my own."

He held her for a long time, letting her tears fall onto him. He hated not being in control and knowing what was going to happen next. He thrived on order and resolve, but now, the world was spinning beneath him and he didn't know what to do.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Veronica Vreeland had been sitting in her car for a very long time, waiting patiently for her prey. She had made several phone calls, one of which was to order one of everything from the latest Chanel line. She called Pierce twice to gab about the latest on goings in Gotham high society, and made all her next week lunch and dinner arrangements at all the most exclusive restaurants and clubs around the city. Finally, she spotted her target.

Bludhaven was not a desirable city, though there were a few nicer sections, but Veronica wasn't afraid as she walked into the rundown building and ignored the stare from the woman behind the night desk as she began ascending the stairs.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Dick Grayson had stopped into his apartment to grab a quick bite to eat and check his messages before beginning his investigations. He was surprised at the knock on his door, but he was even more surprised when he looked through the peephole to see Veronica Vreeland standing there.

"Ms. Vreeland?" he asked as he opened the door.

She sashayed past him and into the apartment. "Dickie! You're looking well. Your place is so… quaint. Surely the ward of the great Bruce Wayne can afford more than quaint. I'll have to set you up with my realtor."

She opened the fridge and took out an apple from the crisper drawer. She continued chatting as she washed the apple off.

"Uh, Ms. Vreeland," Dick was confused at the scene that lay before him, "is there something I can help you with?"

Turning, Veronica simply stared at him as she took a small bite and chewed. "You know, Dickie," she responded when she was finished, "you and I are in a very similar predicament."

His left eyebrow shot up. "What predicament is that?"

She took another small bite and chewed thoughtfully. "What we want is unavailable to us because they are both tied up in each other."

Dick shifted his eyes from sided to side, wondering if he had fallen asleep and was having a strange dream. "I don't understand…"

"You're still interested in renewing your relationship with Barbara, aren't you?"

Crossing his arms across his chest, Dick met her eye. "What makes you think that?"

She rolled her eyes and set the apple down on the counter. "When the girlfriend of Gotham's most eligible bachelor begins rejecting flower arrangements from her ex-boyfriend, who also happens to be the former ward of said bachelor, it gets around certain circles."

"What are you talking about?"

Veronica's eyes widened. "Don't you know why Barbara has been spurning your attempts at reconciliation? She's dating Bruce!"

Dick paled considerably as he took in her words. "I think you must be mistaken, Ms. Vreeland…"

Now Veronica crossed her arms over her chest. "Trust me, I'd love to be mistaken, but I've been pursuing Bruce too long and everywhere I turn, the two of them are together. They've been to every opera, play, restaurant, club, party, gala, and grand opening in Gotham," she rolled her eyes upward, "and they're always all over each other. It makes me sick." She locked her eyes with his again. "I think she's just doing it as some sort of weird revenge. I know you worried about her adolescent crush on Brucie, I heard you both arguing about it years ago at the Van Horton gala."

Dick was having a hard time swallowing the large lump in his throat. He still couldn't quite find his voice.

"Seriously, I think if you and I work together, Dickie, we can drive them apart and have them each to ourselves. Do we have an accord?"

It took Dick a moment to process everything Veronica was telling him. His mind began filling with images of Bruce and Barbara together as the blood in his veins began to boil. Suddenly, Bruce's strange behavior was beginning to make sense: the way he always seemed to step between he and Barbara, the way he was reluctant to talk about his or her own personal endeavors. Then, he remembered seeing Barbara dressed in Bruce's dress shirt and a very short skirt. Bruce had said she had fallen ill.

"Yeah, I bet she was ill…" Dick growled low under his breath.

"What's that, sweetie?" Veronica asked, trying to mask her anticipation.

Letting out a strong puff of breath, Dick lifted his angry eyes. "Yes. We have an accord."


	8. Chapter 8

For Appearance's Sake

Chapter 8

By Teala373

In our last chapter: The team deduces that Rupert Thorn is missing and that someone else is running his operations. Dick tells Bruce he wants Barbara back, but she overhears the conversation and later tells Bruce how conflicted she is. While Bruce goes out to investigate a case, Dick is visited by Veronica Vreeland. Veronica clues him in on Bruce and Barbara's relationship and asks him to help her break them up.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

It didn't take Dick long to hack into the Gotham Gazette's servers and see what socialite pictures they had on file. There was an entire directory dedicated to Bruce with folders divided by date, place, and category. One of the category folders was labeled "BarbaraGordon". Opening it, Dick was angered to see the dozens of pictures of a very happy couple enjoying several upon several nights out. He slammed his hand on the desk before he rose and began stalking towards the door. He was millimeters from grasping the doorknob when he stopped suddenly.

He stepped back and felt dizzy. His mind had been spinning very fast in one direction, then suddenly, it shifted gears and began spinning in the opposite direction. He staggered towards a chair and sat down.

Before he had decided to go back to Gotham and start over again with Bruce and Barbara, he had resolved to try and control his emotions. His often irrational outbursts had started driving a wedge between himself and Barbara shortly before he left. She had always been there for him and supported him. She never questioned him for any other reason then to try and help him. She had been his everything, and he had taken her for granted. He had been completely selfish and consumed by his anger and jealousy.

He had wanted things to be different this time. He wanted to do things right. He loved Barbara, he always had, and he had many beautiful memories of the two of them together.

Sighing, he tried to clear is head and think straight, but thoughts of Bruce and Barbara together were threatening to let his anger take control. He had allowed jealousy to consume him when he was Robin. He disillusioned himself into thinking that Bruce was forcing him to stay in his shadow, when the truth was that Bruce was always trying to protect him. Old habits die hard, and it was hard now for Dick to be rationale and not let old wounds reopen.

He took several deep breaths and tried to clear his head. Regardless of his conflict, he couldn't just fly hot headed into Gotham. This time, he was going to do things right. He was very serious about Barbara and he was going to prove it to her.

Slipping out of the building, he headed back out into the night. He needed to cool down before he saw either Bruce or Barbara again.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Batman stood on the roof of Wayne Tower, over 1600 feet above Broad Street, overlooking the city. The city was quiet; in fact, it had been quiet for several weeks. The last major costumed villain he had faced had been put in Arkham two months ago. Since then, it had just been petty robberies and attempted assault. Not that those weren't important crimes to stop, but the larger, more dangerous criminals had been quiet. They weren't all locked away. Many of them had been released, claiming rehabilitation. He knew from experience that not everyone that got out of Arkham went on to live a just and moral life. Something was brewing beneath the city, and he needed to find out what it was.

He paused suddenly, the inky blue of the sky and rushing swirl of the traffic below fading into oblivion as his mind wandered. He was angry with himself to taste the forbidden freedom of love and happiness that he secretly yearned for and secretly suppressed. He chastised himself for not knowing better. He had a job to do, a city to protect. Now was not the time to be selfish. Now was not the time to further destroy the fragile, piece-mail family that he secretly held so dear to his heart.

He bit down hard on the inside of his lip, bringing the skyline and city noises back to his senses in an almost dizzying rush. He was the Dark Knight for a reason, and with that came sacrifice… He had to let Barbara go…

Preparing a jump line, he headed for Jason Bard's apartment. As he made the death-defying dive off of his own company's tower, and then swooped above the city streets up to his next rooftop, a tiny voice began softly chanting in the back of his brain. By the time he reached the window ledge of Bard's apartment, it was practically screaming.

'… I can't… I can't let her go…'

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Barbara hadn't stayed on the couch long after Bruce left. Something about the information she had procured from Ted Kord's computer was bothering her. Kord had deduced that Thorn's operations had been usurped by a company called Two Vines. All research showed the company to be squeaky clean, which made her highly suspicious.

Bruce was planning on investigating Bard again, but Barbara wanted to take a look at Kord's office to see what other information she could glean. She was partially embarrassed that she constantly had to 'relax' because of being upset over personal situations. She had prided herself on not being frail and overly emotional, but she felt that she had done nothing more than act like one of those silly girls in a romance novel since she and Bruce decided to be a real couple.

It didn't take her long to get dressed and head over to the Kord, Inc. Gotham office, three aspirins swirling in her stomach. There was something minor they were overlooking, and headache or not, she was going to find it. She couldn't just sit around the manor with her mind reeling and her heart aching. She had decided that for whatever it was she felt for Dick Grayson, he had caused enough turmoil in her life, and she wasn't going to let this situation ruin her case.

"I am an idiot!" she muttered as she stared at a painting in Ted Kord's large office that was clearly on hinges. She checked for security before breaking the lock that allowed it to swing away from the wall, revealing a large safe door.

"Bingo!"

Quickly disabling the safe lock, she found the door led her through a secret tunnel that eventually brought her to an underground lair beneath the parking lot of the building, a building owned by Ted Kord. The main room was filled with advanced technology, including a flying aircraft that distinctly belonged to the Blue Beetle.

"Gothcha," Batgirl whispered to herself as she surveyed how to get around the elaborate security. Though Ted Kord was something of a technological guru, Batgirl had been trained by the best and soon found herself hacked into his main computer terminal and accessing the files he had amassed on Rupert Thorn's gang. Opening up her small, portable computer, she logged into the bat computer and began running queries against all the information in the files. She also ran a few separate queries on a few hunches she was having.

There had been something eerie about the quiet of super villains in the city and the twisted complications of this case that wasn't adding up neatly. She was determined to leave no stone unturned.

Her passionate longings for Bruce and turmoil over Dick would have to wait.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Nightwing crouched on the rooftop of a nearby building and observed the Thorn operatives working out of a recently purchased apartment building.

After his visit from Veronica Vreeland, he wanted nothing more than to go charging into Wayne Manor. As much as he wanted to, he knew it was the wrong move and would only drive a further wedge between himself and Barbara.

He began formulating a plan as he watched another car pull up to the building, but quickly abandoned it when he saw who climbed out of the car. He began stealthily making his way into the building and securing surveillance equipment.

The building was mostly empty and appeared to be under renovation. The men he had seen coming and going appeared to be working on legitimate cosmetic construction.

"I appreciate you guys working after your shifts at Westford down here," Roland Desmond, the former criminal known as Blockbuster, that claimed to be rehabilitated, said as he walked into a room where three men were installing kitchen cabinets.

"We just appreciate you throwing us former thugs some extra work," one of the men commented as he screwed a hinge to a cabinet door. "I guess what they say is true: when you go legit, you have to work twice as hard."

The men shared a round of chuckles before Roland prepared to leave. "I'm going to check on the furnace installation. I think this will be one of the better apartment buildings on this side of Bludhaven when we're through," he concluded. "Don't forget to take a meal break."

Nightwing then followed Rolland down to the back of the building where three large delivery trucks were being unloaded.

"We got the last of the cabinets, the Kohler sinks, molding, toe kicks and all new hardware, Mr. Desmond," one of the truck drivers called out as he helped the other workers unload the trucks.

Rolland nodded. "Excellent. I was just on my way to check the furnace installation. Call me if you need anything."

The basement also appeared to be on the level as workers from Thorn's operations were installing a furnace, hot water tank and dehumidifier in the basement. There were also several men building locked storage units in another part of the basement.

Heading back to the unloading trucks, Nightwing began inspecting the boxes, but they were truly filled with what the truck driver called out. Shrugging, he took off to check the Bludhaven pier and make sure there wasn't anything he was missing.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Batman hadn't found much in Jason Bard's apartment. His notes on the investigation showed that he was unable to locate the man who shot him. Marko Ruggeri was an underboss for Thorn and often served as his right hand man. Bard hadn't seen or heard anything on either Ruggeri or Thorn since he began working for the Thorn front business: Westford.

His notes also showed that Thorn's operations were slowly being bought up by a company called Two Vines and were going legit. Two Vines was a renovation company that was buying run down buildings, fixing them up, then selling them. They used Montague shipping to bring in their supplies, and had made several purchases from both Kord, Inc and Wayne Tech.

Unable to find anything else of value, Batman decided to do a standard patrol before heading back to the cave to complete more research on the bat computer.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Batgirl observed Oswald Cobblepot's Iceburg Lounge carefully. The security was surprisngly light. Though Cobblepot, the super villain once know as The Penguin, had long since gone legit, he usually kept heavy guard around all entrances to keep his old acquaintances, and any other undesirables, at bay.

A quick surviellance yeilded an elaborate alarm system had been set and a couple of guards were placed inside. Easily slipping inside the main office, she began looking through his records. In accordance with his probation, Cobblepot had to keep detailed records of his whereabouts. When his probation officer signed off on the paper record, a copy was given to him. Both Batman and Batgirl, in the regular monthly observation of rehibilitated criminals, knew where these copies were kept, and Batgirl wasted no time in procurring them.

According to the records, Cobblepot had hardly been to the Lounge, which also housed his apartment above the office, claiming to be on vacation. He had been to the lounge on a few occasions to oversee a few specific food shipments. Pulling out the business records, Batgirl saw that the deliveries were triple what was normal for his business. Though it was heavily concealed, Batgirl deduced through the records that the excess was shipped back out through rented trucks and sent to several locations within Gotham and Bludhaven. She recorded the information and the supposed whereabouts of Oswald Cobblepot's vacation spot.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

The warehouse on the Bludhaven docks where Blockbuster's shipments were coming in yeilded no incriminating evidence. If anything, the records and boxes inside only served to prove the new squeaky-clean life that Rolland Desmond was leading.

Nightwing wasn't buying it.

Though Desmond had been relatively quiet the last several months, he had a strong lust for power that was unlikely to be slaked. Though Nightwing had gathered from various documents that Roland was organizing renovations only to sell the finished buildings off, that was only material power. The protector of Bludhaven knew from experience there was more than material power the underworld lord thristed for.

Shooting a jump line, he headed towards other known dwellings of Roland Desmond and those that worked for him. He hoped to find more answers on Rupert Thorn and this new found business venture.

He ran, jumped, dove, flipped and flew across the rooftops. He engaged in more acrobatics than need be, but it barely reduced his timing. Batman had always chided him for such actions, teaching him that it was foolish to do more than need be as it decreased time and energy. But, Dick had been born into the world of acrobatics and had much more energy than the average person. He had grown to know Bludhaven as well as he knew Gotham.

There were times when he could close his eyes and swiftly move across the skyline with the shadows of the night. When he did this, in his mind, he was no longer in Bludhaven, or Gotham, he was flying close to the red and gold canvas rooftops on a silver bar. When he would realease the bar, he was the most free in all the world. The hand he would grasp of the person waiting for him on the second bar was often his mother's or father's, but as of late, it was Barbara's hand. She would be hanging off the second silver bar, smiling at him, looking deep into his eyes with her sparkling ones. They would swing until enough momentum was built for them both to fly together. It gave him a feeling of such wholness and beauty, that he could barely describe it's greatness. When they would stand upon the tiny landing high above the cheering crowds, he would always spot Bruce and Alfred smiling up at them from the bleachers.

He opened his eyes as he reached his destination. There was a tight constriction is his throat and his eyes stung. He had loved Barbara from the very minute he had ever laid eyes on her. Bruce had tried to take away the pain of his parents' death, but he had only stopped him from going mad with grief. It was Barbara that took away his pain. It was Barbara that calmed the irrational and emotional nature that threatened to overtake him. It was Barbara that healed his fractured soul.

It was Barbara that he loved.

As he opened the skylight to one of the many apartments that Roland kept, he wondered what would become of him if he could not right that great wrong he had done. He had been in misery without her when he first left, but he knew he needed the time to heal and to mature before he could fully commit himself to her. He couldn't believe it was too late, for he knew there was little that would keep him going without her… even justice and vengence.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

After a long patrol, Batman took another quick sweep of the city, intent on finding the whereabouts of Jason Bard. It was two o'clock in the morning and Bard was no where to be found. Nothing indicated that he had gone out of town or was staying somewhere else.

Climbing into the batmobile, he logged onto the computer. Checking recent log in activity, he tried to gage if Barbara had finished her rest and was conducting research in the cave. His jaw clenched as her log in displayed sporadic remote activity and her GPS showed her on the Northwest side of the city.

"Batgirl, come in," he practically growled over the com link.

A soft chuckle floated through his earpiece. "I was wondering how long it would take you to find me."

"I thought you were staying in."

"I rested and now I'm continuing to investigate. I have more information, but I also have several puzzle pieces that go nowhere. I thought before I got home I would do a patrol run. It's been a while since we've checked on the nine."

'The nine' was a reference they used for Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, Mad Hatter, The Penguin, the Riddler, Killer Croc, Clayface and Firefly. They were nine of the most dangerous criminals in Gotham's history that had been released on parole from arkham Asylum. The Joker was now a permanent resident of Arkham as he was too dangerous to ever be released back into society. Bane was rumored to be somewhere in South America laying low. Scarecrow had died in Arkham after too much exposure to his own toxins, and Catwoman was now a prominent memeber of Gotham society as a well respected conservationist and animal rights activist. She was no longer on parole.

"I've already checked in on Penguin, Two-Face and Mad Hatter," Batgirl continued.

"Pamela is visiting the rain forrest in Brazil to study the flora. Harley went with her as an assistant."

Batgirl rolled her eyes. "That should be interesting."

"It keeps her out of trouble."

She gave a small laugh. "I guess something has to."

"I'm closer to Croc and Firefly. Check Riddler and Clayface, then meet me back after a final sweep."

There was a slight pause. "Are you mad?"

Another pause. "No."

She sighed. "I was too restless. Something about this case is really bothering me. I have a hunch, but… I know how you hate hunches, so I went out looking for facts."

A tight sigh came over the com link. "What's your hunch?"

She knew it was another surrender into him accepting her more as a partner. She smiled to herself, happy that he trusted her. "I think the nine are up to something and trying to cover their tracks, making everything look peachy-keen. I think they might be tied into this whole mess."

"Any proof?"

"Nothing except a whole bunch of fishy coincidences."

"We'll put all our information together when we meet back." He was careful not to say 'cave' incase any of their conversation was overheard. Though it was unlikely due to their ability to detect another presence and the sophistication of the security on the com links, they always exercised caution. "Check in every fifteen minutes."

She gave an afirmation before heading to her present target. When she first started officially working together with Batman, she had thought the fifteen minute check in rule was a little over-zealous, especially when her assignments and investigations during the times they were separated took an hour at least. However, she had come to learn that it was, in fact, a very sound rule. It had saved her life on more than one occasion.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

AN: Okay, so this is how I got "over 1600 feet" for how high up Batman was on the top of Wayne Tower: I looked up the Sears Tower, which is the one of the tallest skyscrapers. It is 110 floors and 1454 feet tall. I decided to make Wayne Towers 125 floors. 1454 feet divided by 110 floors comes to 11.4 feet per floor. The difference between 125 and 110 is 15. 15 times 11.4 equals 171. Add 1454 and 171, and you get over 1600 feet. Ta da! Considering I am the absolute worst in math, I was quite proud of myself for coming up with this (yeah, I know… it's sad…).


	9. Chapter 9

For Appearance's Sake

By Teala373

Chapter 9

In our last chapter: Batman, Batgirl and Nightwing continue investigating suspects, but only seem to come up with a lot of suspiciously squeaky-clean reformed criminals. Their suspicions lead nowhere, but Batgirl has a hunch and won't back down until she has some answers. She promises Batman to check in every fifteen minutes while she does a routine investigation on how Riddler and Clayface's parole is panning out.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Having found nothing but dead-ends, Nightwing jumped on his cycle and began the trek back to Gotham. As he drove, he tried to think of what his plan of attack would be for winning back Barbara. He had to be careful, for he knew if he let his emotions run away with him, he would risk losing her. He had to be smart, confident and in control.

He began to think about what it would be that Bruce would have as an advantage over him.

"Ok… maturity… intelligence… take charge kind of guy… cool car…" he mumbled to himself as he rode at breakneck speeds down the interstate highway. "I guess he's okay looking…"

And then, he began to think about what he and Barbara had in common. It was much more that he thought she had with Bruce. They loved to laugh and watch movies. They loved campfires and burnt marshmallows. She liked being dipped when they danced, and he was always more than happy to oblige her. They both loved food, even if she was much more careful about her eating habits than he was. She laughed at all his bad jokes and even told a few, herself. They both enjoyed mythology and astronomy. When they dated, they had season tickets to all the Gotham Knights games and owned several articles of clothing with the team's logo on it.

There was the way a simple touch or look from her would make his insides quiver in a way that made him dizzy and feel like he was free falling; she had once told him he did the same to her. He liked twirling a piece of her hair in his fingers when he had his arm around her while they watched TV. He liked laughing with her when they took all the goofy quizzes in the magazines while they waited in the checkout line to buy cheap wine, Doritos and a really bad DVD from the $6.99 rack. He missed going on picnics in the park and blowing raspberries on her stomach just as she would drift off to sleep after dessert. Most of all, he missed flying through the sky with her, their jump lines parallel, capes fluttering behind them. He loved the way her eyes sparkled through her mask. He loved when she would perform a quadruple somersault in the air – a feat only he had been able to perform for a long time. He loved the talks they would have after patrols. He loved laying his head in her lap and talking to her seriously about his inner most thoughts and feelings.

He missed her.

"What do the two of them talk about? What do they do for fun when they're just hanging out?" he mumbled again to himself. He felt himself pale as he began to worry that they didn't do much talking because they were only doing one particular thing when hanging out.

He flushed hot, then cold, then hot again as jealousy, possessiveness and anger overtook him. He gritted his teeth together so hard, that he was surprised when he found his jaw aching, snapping him from his reverie.

"No! No, no, no, no!" he muttered. "There's something else…"

He stewed in his thoughts all the way to the end of the highway, where he took the first of the many Gotham exits. He was halfway to the mansion when it finally dawned on him what the connection was that Bruce and Barbara were sharing.

"I gotcha, old man," he murmured triumphantly as he turned onto a street that would lead him to the forest hiding one of the many secret bat cave entrances. A sly smirked overtook his face as his eyes glittered dangerously behind his mask. "You don't stand a chance now!"

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Bruce pushed back his cowl as he sat in front of the main terminal in the bat cave. He rapped his gloved hands on the armrest while clenching and unclenching his jaw. Barbara had checked in every fifteen minutes, as promised. He continued monitoring her GPS and was upset to discover a location she managed to investigate between her check-ins. And then, he became angry upon discovering that she was backtracking their previous investigations.

He absently rubbed his chin as he heard her cycle enter the cave. He didn't bother to look up as he heard her walk towards him, even as he began realizing what she was carrying.

"She'll find out."

Barbara elicited a small laugh. "I think she's a little too busy.

Bruce turned to look at Barbara, who was holding Isis, Selina Kyle's much beloved cat. As she stroked the purring cat under its chin, a very wise, very challenging look was set in her eyes.

"I know you're mad, but I'm on to something."

He gave a slight nod for her to go ahead with her findings.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Dick came roaring into the cave. He quickly took off his helmet and jogged over to the main terminal, where Bruce and Barbara were standing, with a new vigor. His spirits were high as he felt he had a solid game plan to win back his ladylove.

He stopped short at the scene before him.

Bruce was furiously typing on the keyboard as Barbara continually rattled off what appeared to be random words. She was holding a black cat that Dick didn't fail to recognize.

"Admit it," Barbara finally said once she was done giving Bruce directions, "I'm good."

While analyzing the screen in front of him, Bruce smirked. "You're something, alright, but Selina is still off limits."

"Please," Barbara rolled her eyes. "Isis likes me better, don't you, baby?" She scratched the loudly purring cat behind the ears, eliciting a neck nuzzle.

"What's going on?" Dick asked, annoyed they seemed to be ignoring him.

"I'm the new world's greatest detective," Barbara responded, still looking ahead at the screen.

Bruce slammed a fist down on the console. "I specifically asked you not to…" he began shouting.

"She's working with the nine!" Barbara interrupted loudly. "Besides, I caught her in a lie! I'm the one who pieced this whole thing together!"

"Behind my back!" Bruce countered.

Barbara stooped down to set Isis on the floor before coming to stand directly behind Bruce's chair. "You know, you're always chastising Dick and I about not letting emotions or anything personal get in the way of what we do, but apparently that rule doesn't apply to you."

Dick took a step back as Bruce quickly got up from his chair and turned to stare Barbara down. Barbara, however, wasn't intimidated and cut him off before he could get a word in edge-wise.

"I'm not saying they can't be saved. I'm not saying they can't be rehabilitated," she began, "I'm not saying they can never be who you want them to be. All I'm saying is that right now they are breaking parole and involved in something very big and very dangerous. You know that everyone is in over their heads on this one. They're all going to double cross each other. Harvey and Selina stand to get in a lot of trouble, and a lot of innocent people are going to get hurt."

Bruce's jaw slowly relaxed as he took in her words. The two stared at each other for several moments, still ignoring Dick's presence.

"Listen," Barbara continued, "if you want to be mad at me, that's fine, but this is my city, too, and I want to protect it. I'm really sorry about what happened to your best friend and your ex-girlfriend because deep down, I think they really are good people. However, this is big. Really big."

The tension in the air was thick as Bruce continued to stare Barbara down. Finally, he turned, heading to a section of the cave where he had installed a large bathroom with a shower and changing area.

"We'll go to the ball tomorrow and see what we can find out," he finally commanded before disappearing down the rocky hallway.

Dick stepped forward in front of Barbara's line of sight. "What's going on?"

Sighing, Barbara rubbed the back of her neck. "This one's bad."

"What do we got?"

She sat down at the terminal and began bringing up data. "That company, Two Vines, that's buying up Westford left and right appears to be a front for the nine."

Ripping off his mask, Dick stared wide-eyed at the screen. "All nine of them? Are you serious?"

"All nine, plus some. Look at this," Barbara began as she brought up her data. "Harley and Pamela's video e-mail to their parole officer was a complete fake. They're not in the rain forest at all. Harvey isn't in a secured medical facility; there's a very convincing fake standing in for him."

Dick watched in awe as she brought up all her evidence showing the true whereabouts of Penguin, Riddler, Killer Croc, Clayface and Firefly. She then showed how Catwoman and Bane were also involved.

"Bane?!" Dick asked incredulously. "How is he smart enough to get his ankle bracelet off without anyone knowing?"

Barbara smiled. "Because they're all working together, organized by a very clever man."

"A very clever man? Only Riddler is smart enough for an organization of this multitude and none of them respect him enough."

Barbara sighed. "It's not Nygma. It's Crane."

"Crane? Johnathon Crane? The Scarecrow?"

"I don't know how, yet, but he faked his death. He's running this whole operation. I think there might be more involved."

Dick shook his head in disbelief. "So, what's the plan?"

"There's a ball at the top of the plaza tomorrow night. Bruce and I will go and see if we can dig anything up on a civilian level, especially from Pierce Montague." She continued typing, organizing the information and setting up new queries. "Can you check on something for me while we're there? I'll be in communication with you and may call you in depending on how things go."

He elicited a laugh. "You're calling the shots?"

Turning around, she smiled. "It's like archeology. It's my find, my case."

Widening his smile, he laughed along with her. "You're something else, Babs, you know that?"

Her smile began to dwindle and she licked her lips nervously. "You… you still have some spirit gum on your face… from your mask…"

"Oh." He began feeling around his temples for it.

She repositioned herself so that she was kneeling on the chair. Leaning towards him, she began silently picking off the excess adhesive.

"You know," he began softly, his pulse racing from how close they were to each other, "I was thinking about that time when we went up to Niagara Falls."

"The time you threatened to throw me overboard on the Maid of the Mist, or the time you threatened to throw me overboard on the Maid of the Mist?"

"Definitely the time I threatened to throw you overboard on the Maid of the Mist," he chuckled.

"The time you spilled your soda all over me, or the time you got fudge in my hair?"

"Fudge. I also tried to purposely lose you in the maze and scare you."

She smiled softly as she picked at a particularly stubborn piece of spirit gum. "Yeah, you didn't know I was Batgirl, then."

A corner of his mouth rose. "Yeah, and afterwards, you bought me those really great fries."

She snorted. "Really great fries? They were from Burger King!"

"Yeah, but they had gravy and cheese on them. You can't get those here."

She eased her self off the chair and leaned against the console. "I still have that cute figurine you bought me at the fudge shop"

"I was trying to distract you from seeing what I was doing, that's how I got fudge in your hair."

Laughing lightly, she bent down to scoop a purring Isis into her arms. The black cat was content to curl up while having the spot behind both ears scratched. "What made you think about that?"

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Bruce stood in front of the cave's bathroom sink for a several minutes, gripping the porcelain sides. While he had cleaned up and changed, he thought hard about Barbara's words. She was right, she was always right, but he was having a hard time coming to terms with it.

As much as he tried to fight it, he had a strong urge to always be in control. Control was what kept him sane. Control was what kept him alive. Control was what kept others alive. When he felt he was losing that control, he knew it opened a door he wasn't prepared for; a door he both desperately wanted and desperately feared. Those who truly knew him would think he feared nothing, but there was very much that he feared, and that drove him even harder.

Barbara made him lose control and he liked it, but losing control also meant being selfish. As much as he did want a life of his own, being selfish made him feel guilty and feel that he was dishonoring his parents' memory. He also felt guilt because Barbara wasn't entirely his to have…

A sudden pain made him realize he was clenching his teeth. Flexing his jaw, he began to think about his relationship with Dick. When he had seen the Graysons fall, there wasn't a moment of hesitation in his heart to reach out to the young boy. When Dick discovered his secret, he wanted to protect him and teach him to be the person he couldn't be.

He knew that their relationship was falling apart, but he honestly thought it would pass. He honestly thought he could protect Dick. He honestly thought everything would go the way he thought it should be… Though he never showed it, he had been devastated when Dick had left. Dick was his son, his best friend…

…and now they were both in love with the same woman…

Splashing water on his face, Bruce prepared to go out and face Dick and Barbara. He didn't want to be the better person and do the right thing, but he knew he had to.

But, as Bruce walked back into the main area of the cave, several emotions overthrew his rational thought. A red haze slashed across his vision as he took in Barbara leaning against the console. Her head was cocked slightly, her eyes were bright, and her infectious smile was definitely laced with flirtation. Dick's smile was equally flirtatious as he leaned in closer to Barbara. He took a lock of her hair between his fingers and said something that made her laugh.

Bruce felt his blood boil in his veins. Suddenly, everything he had initially thought about flew out of his head. Now, he was ready to compete.


	10. Chapter 10

For Appearance's Sake

By Teala373

Chapter 10

In our last chapter: Barbara rattles Bruce when she defies his orders. She begins solving their latest investigation and calls him out on why he is arguing with her, causing Bruce to leave Dick and Barbara alone. While Bruce evaluates his feelings, Dick then gets back in Barbara's good graces. Bruce's jealousy ensues.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

When Barbara returned to the batcave after her second patrol, she was more tired than she could remember being in a long time. It had taken a lot of her energy to stand up to Bruce and she was now paying for it.

She had quickly showered and changed, and was now typing her findings into the case files. She hoped she could finish before either Bruce or Dick made it back so she could head home to bed. She was only halfway through her task when she heard the roar of the batmobile entering the cave. Sighing, she continued typing.

Removing his cowl, Bruce commended her on her efforts as he walked past her, heading for his own shower. Just as Barbara was finished saving her last file, he stealthily appeared behind her, blocking her path.

"Listen, about what I said earlier," Barbara began, but Bruce cut her off as he crushed her body to his and captured her lips in his own.

Barbara felt herself melting against him as every nerve ending buzzed with a sensation she couldn't quite define. Just when she felt as though she would burst, Bruce eased his lips only millimeters from hers.

"You're tired. I'll take you upstairs."

Before she could respond, he scooped her up in his strong arms and carried her out of the cave. It felt like forever for them to finally reach his bedroom, where he gently set her down in his bed, as he had done before. Barbara could feel that her cheeks were flushed, but she could scarcely think about it as Bruce climbed in behind her, drawing her into his strong arms.

It was the best sleep she could remember having in a long time.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

A delicious scent awoke Barbara from her sleep. As she opened her eyes, she inhaled deeply and realized the aroma was French toast with cinnamon.

"Mmm…" she mumbled as she began to sit up.

Bruce was immediately at her side, raining kisses down her neck. "Good morning."

"Mmm… morning…" Barbara mumbled as she leaned back against the headboard, happy to have such attention.

"I hope you don't mind French toast. I know you like to eat healthy, but it's okay to indulge once in a while."

Barbara was now fully awake. This was not the Bruce she knew. "You're kidding, right?"

The response was a piece of syrup-laden French toast, which she now realized was stuffed with cream cheese, being stuffed in her mouth.

"Good?"

She nodded. "Yeah. That's amazing."

He picked up the breakfast tray and rested it on her lap. "I thought you would like it. It's Alfred's special recipe."

Barbara smiled. "Thank you. French toast is actually my favorite, but I haven't had it in a long time."

Smiling widely, he settled beside her and began making light conversation while she ate.

"So, I am curious to know what else you can cook seeing that you've spoiled me twice now with your culinary prowess."

Laughing lighting, Bruce took the tray from her and set it on the nightstand. "You'll just have to wait and find out."

She flashed a quick smile before pulling back the covers and getting up. "I have a few errands I need to run before we have to go to the ball. What time do you want me back here?"

"I'm having an outfit and accessories sent here from Bergona's. It should be here by 3:00."

"Bergona's?!" There were many fine stores in Gotham, but Bergona's was the most exclusive and most expensive by far. "Bruce, you didn't…"

He held up a hand before crossing over to stand opposite her. "Don't worry about it."

Her thoughts about expensive dresses were soon lost as he threaded his hands in her hair and kissed her deeply.

"You taste like syrup," he murmured as he dipped his head down to kiss her once more. Barbara could never remember being kissed in such an erotic way, in which she was being tasted.

Barely managing an intelligible sentence, she made her way back to her car and cleared her head enough to drive to her apartment.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Dick awoke late in the morning and quickly donned his Nightwing attire. He wanted to do another sweep of Roland Desmond's latest venture to ensure it truly was legit. While Barbara hadn't mentioned Blockbuster, he was now suspicious of his recent activity in light of how the major players in Gotham were working together.

Barbara had mentioned that some of Penguin's stray shipments were going to Bludhaven, and that only fueled his curiosity that Desmond was some how involved. First, he used his computer to run a few queries about the building being renovated, and compared it to the batcave's files.

He was now fairly confident that Barbara was right and that Desmond was involved. Desmond was now considered a contractor for Two Vines and had access to Westford staff, which made some of the conversation of the workers from the previous night fit into the case.

Heading over to the apartment building, he found the activity there lighter than when he had first investigated. He found it easy to slip inside and make his way down to the basement where a strong hunch told him to check.

It didn't take him wrong to discover that one of the locked storage units concealed a set of stairs that led downward.

Smiling to himself, Nightwing began to descend to the lower level.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Barbara blushed as Bruce's eyes roamed hungrily over her. "You look beautiful."

"You had to pick out the lowest cut dress they had, didn't you?" She was in Bergona's most expensive dress: a floor length beaded halter gown that hugged every curve and showed a very ample amount of cleavage.

He laughed lightly before offering her his arm. "No, I picked it out because it matched the color of your eyes."

She smiled as they headed to the ball. She wondered if she should reveal to Bruce that she hadn't bothered to wear the tiny scraps of fabric included in her parcel that were supposed to pass as under garments.

Of course, something told her that he somehow knew as he shot her a particular look while helping her into the car.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Jason Bard stood at the bar chatting with Ted Kord, which immediately gained Bruce and Barbara's attentions. While greeting all the major players in Gotham and making boring, but necessary small talk, the duo kept an eye on both Bard and Kord. They weren't surprised when Pierce Montague joined their conversation.

Leading Barbara to the dance floor, Bruce immediately turned conversation to the case. "I'm still not sure where Pierce stands in all of this, but I don't think he is working one side or another."

"Agreed. His main motivations are making money and staying on the top of the social ladder. I think he only views Bard and Kord as customers, nothing more."

"Have you found any other information on Kord?"

Barbara continued watching him over Bruce's shoulder. "Two Vines was originally called Three Rivers. It was a subsidiary of Kord, Inc. that bought and sold property. Kord sold it to Westford so he could concentrate more on his main company. Later, he discovered Westford was a front for Thorn. When Thorn seemingly disappeared and Three Rivers was changed to Two Vines, he hired Bard."

"Good work. Any more on Bard?"

"No. He hasn't come up with much. I figured I would talk with him before the night is over and see what else I can find out."

Bruce nodded before leaning down and planting a kiss on her neck.

Sighing, Barbara leaned against him as they finished the dance.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Nightwing wasn't sure if he was surprised or not surprised to find very posh living quarters in the sub-level of the renovated Bludhaven apartment building.

He was definitely not surprised to see the 'nine' with Catwoman and Bane sitting around a large table making plans.

"I'll go!" Harley called out. "I'm the perfect apprentice! Mr. J always said so."

Poison Ivy rolled her eyes. "Harley and I will be good distractions if any of the bats show up, but we'll need a lead."

Nightwing frowned. It was unusual for Poison Ivy to not want to take the lead on what was appearing to be a large job.

"I'm staying behind," Penguin crossed his small arms across his chest. "If you mongrels want to continue getting fed, I need to still be the picture of a perfect citizen."

Catwoman sheathed and unsheathed her mechanical claws. "I can serve you better as a scout and backup. I can station myself on the roof of the next building."

"Croc wait in bay!"

"Right you are, my dear reptilian," Penguin agreed, "but who is going to lead this escapade?"

Two-Face stood up and banged his fist loudly on the table. "Do we have to do everything?! We will need two others!"

Again, Poison Ivy rolled her eyes.

"Firefly! Riddler! Mad Hatter!" Two-Face bellowed. "You will come with me! Clayface, you will also serve as backup for the bats!"

"You said two," Poison Ivy drawled sarcastically, "that's three."

"Now we are two sets of two," Two-Face grinned evilly.

Harley leaned in towards Poison Ivy. "I can't believe you used to date that weirdo," she whispered.

Ivy ignored her. "Why don't you place Clayface on the unmanned roof, leaving Harley and I to back up Bane."

"Who said I needed back up?" Bane growled.

Sighing, Ivy leaned back in her chair. "While you are guarding the building, we can operate the controls and mind the hostages."

"Then it's settled," Penguin concluded. "Radio me when you're heading back and I'll make sure a delectable meal is waiting for you."

Nightwing slinked back further into the shadows. He had to warn Bruce and Barbara before he could take any further action. He carefully made his way back up the staircase, but the minute he was in the main basement of the building, he sensed he wasn't alone.

Sighing, he looked to his left as Roland Desmond walked out of the shadows. Though Nightwing was confident he could handle Desmond and the goons he was sure were on their way, he knew it would take up time he wasn't sure he had.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Bruce and Barbara had been at the ball for over two hours, and so far haven't found anything out of the ordinary. Barbara had danced with both Jason Bard and Ted Kord, in addition to having numerous conversations with them both.

Bruce found himself wrapped up with the mayor, his vice-presidents, and several other prominent Gotham citizens after his first few dances with Barbara. He had managed a few conversations with Pierce Montague, but little had come of it. He looked past the mayor to watch Barbara dancing a vigorous jive with Ted Kord.

Once the dance was over, Barbara thanked Kord for the dance and headed out to the patio for privacy. The minute hand on her watch had flashed, alerting her that Nightwing was on her communicator. As she flipped her watch over and opened her communicator, she noted two figures on the rooftops of the buildings. Using her compact, she quickly recognized Clayface and Catwoman.

Her minute hand flashed again.

"Come in," she commanded softly into the communicator.

"Geez, took you long enough!"

"Sorry, but I've got…"

"No time for small talk, we gotta move! You were right about the nine!"

Barbara looked up at the view over the bay as Nightwing spoke. The restaurant the ball was being held at was just on the curve of the bay. Just three buildings down was a building under construction. There was a crane with a large wooden box settled on the ground. The wheels in Barbara's mind began to turn.

"Hey! Are you listening to me!"

Snapping out of her reverie, Barbara looked down at her communicator. "There is no construction at the Galvaston... ownership rights are still tied up in the courts."

"What? What are talking about?"

Spinning around, Barbara tried to catch Bruce's eye as he danced half-heartily with Veronica Vreeland.

"HEY! Are you still there? The nine are planning something big, but I got tied up with Blockbuster!"

Gunshots and loud commotion overtook the ballroom. Barbara allowed herself to be swallowed by the shadows as she headed towards the car where the costumes were hidden.

"Are you there?" Nightwing was trying to refrain from using names, but it was getting difficult. "The nine are…"

"I know, Nightwing. They're here!"

Severing the connection, Nightwing hurried to his cycle.


	11. Chapter 11

.000000000000For Appearance's Sake

By Teala373

Chapter 11

In our last chapter: Bruce dotes on Barbara and they head out to the ball. Nightwing investigates Roland Desmond's apartment complex and discovers it is the secret lair of the Gotham criminals planning a large heist. Nightwing gets tied up fighting Desmond and his men, and when he finally warns Barbara, they learn the target of the criminals is the ball itself.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

"Took you long enough," Batgirl whispered as Nightwing silently landed beside her on the roof of a nearby building.

"Hey!" he whispered back harshly. "I made it here in record time!'

She smiled thinly. "I don't remember you being so touchy."

He smiled back. "What's the damage?"

"This is bad… this is really bad." She gestured out over the scene that lay before them. "Two-Face, Riddler, Mad Hater and Firefly are holding most of the guests in the restaurant's main ballroom. Clayface is on the rooftop to the left of the restaurant and Catwoman is on the rooftop to the right. I'm pretty sure Crock is in the bay, somewhere. Bane is at the Galvaston building. Posion Ivy and Harley are with him."

"Have you seen Blockbuster?"

"No. And no Penguin or Scarecrow, either."

"Penguin is staying behind, and Blockbuster might, too. I didn't see Scarecrow. Are you sure he's alive and behind this whole thing?"

Batgirl nodded. "I'm almost positive."

Looking out at the red and blue flashing lights, Nightwing let out a low whistle. "Wow, is that the entire GCPD?"

Batgirl swallowed. "It… it sure looks like it…"

"Where is Batman posted?"

Turning, Batgirl looked at him. "Nightwing… don't you know? I thought you would have tuned into the scanners as you were heading over here."

"What do you mean?"

Sighing, Batgirl pointed to the large wooden crate that was being suspended over the bay by the crane at the abandoned Galvaston building. "That crate is holding the mayor, the city councilman, my father, Bruce, Ted Kord, Veronica Vreeland, and Pierce Montague."

"Where did they get your father? I thought he wasn't going to the ball?"

"He didn't. Harley and Ivy picked him up at his office and dragged him along for the ride."

"So, they have all the major players of Gotham, huh?"

"Yes, and if their ransom isn't met, they will drop the crate into the bay. If the ransom isn't met after that, they shoot the rest of the hostages inside the restaurant."

"And there's just the two of us."

"And nine of them that I've counted so far… ten, if you count Scarecrow, wherever he is."

"Great. Do you have a plan?"

"I have the beginning; the middle and end are a little sketchy."

"Sketchy?"

"Yeah.. most of them end with us melted, torn in half or suffocating under a ton of clay."

Nightwing sat back on his haunches. "Well, let's hear what you've got."

"First, we need to get rid of Croc, so one or both of us has to get him out of the bay. Then, we need to free the people in the crate so we can get Bruce and Ted out."

"Okay, that gives us four, providing that Ted will work with us…"

"Right, and that's around the time I had Firefly or Clayface catching on. So if we can't spring Bruce and Ted, things get…"

"Sketchy?"

"Bingo."

Nightwing pursed his lips together as the wheels in his mind turned. "Okay, well if we get rid of Croc, that's one. Then, we have to get rid of the lookouts on the roof." He suddenly snapped his gloved fingers. "I got it! You can distract Catwoman by taunting her about Isis. That should make it easier to take her down."

"Nice thinking! Clayface is tricky, but if we can figure out a way to electrocute him…"

"Leave that to me. Can you get Montoya on your communicator and have officers ready?"

Batgirl nodded. "Yeah, but how are we going to distract Ivy, Quinn and Bane long enough to get the hostages out of the crate?"

"We're going to have to reconvene after we execute what we've got so far. Hopefully, the loss of team members will cause them to spread out."

As they stood up, Batgirl heaved a great sigh and grasped Nightwing's arm. "My father's in there…"

"I know…"

"He's been in danger before, but…"

"I know," he folded his arms around her. "We're going to get them out. Everything will be alright."

She sighed again. "You're better at taunting. You take Catwoman. I have an old score to settle with Clayface."

She felt his chuckle vibrate in his chest, where her head rested. "Are you still upset about that scar on your lower back?"

"I _had_ him, but he had some random "muscle… clay spasm" and whipped me into a metal cabinet! I was doing so well keeping my scar count low."

"Okay, I'm gonna let you call the shots just this once, but you owe me."

Sighing, Batgirl prepared her jump line. "So many things wrong with that statement."

Nightwing pulled out two breathing devices and handed Batgirl one. "Last one to Croc is a rotten egg."

She rolled her eyes before diving off the ledge.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Barbara had lifted a few things off Bruce's belt when she was gathering her costume. One such item was a small sonar device that would allow them to track Croc's movements within the dark water.

Slinking along the shadows. Nightwing and Batgirl were able to slip undetected down to the water's edge. Placing the sonar device in the water, Batgirl did a preliminary scan to determine Croc's position.

"Here's almost directly under the crate," Batgirl whispered, "about 20 feet down."

"I have tranquilizer darts, but it will be hard to shoot them under water."

Batgirl held out her hand. "Give them to me. You engage Croc in a fight and I'll inject him."

"Wait, wait, wait! Why do I have to fight him?"

She threw him a look that could only equate to 'duh'. "Because you're the better fighter and I'm the better shot."

Nightwing snorted. "You're the better shot? I don't… wait… you think I'm the better fighter?"

"Yes," she confirmed as she prepared to make a soundless entry into the bay. "You're the better fighter. I'm the better shot, and I'm smarter."

Before he could retort, she slipped beneath the surface.

"Yeah, you're smarter," Nightwing remarked to no one in particular, "which one of us is dating Bruce?" He eased himself into the water and began following her towards the sonar device's location of Killer Croc.

Once they were in close enough range for Croc's enhanced senses to detect them, Nightwing swam ahead while Batgirl dove further below him. Croc quickly became distracted with Nightwing, grabbing him in a chokehold and spinning them both in an attempt to confuse and disarm him.

Nightwing, however, was prepared for Croc's infamous 'death roll' and avoided his clawed fingers from removing his breathing device. He elicited a series of minor defense moves to keep Croc distracted while he waited for Batgirl to inject him with the tranquilizer.

After cycling through several unsuccessful defensive maneuvers, Nightwing through to himself, 'Well…I could always try…' The completion of his thought brought his foot to its intended mark: squarely between Croc's legs. Finally, Batgirl appeared behind the scaly figure and stabbed him with all three of the darts Nightwing had provided.

They dragged Croc back up to the surface where they quietly tied him to a pier support for the GCPD to pick up.

"It certainly took you long enough!" Nightwing hissed as he secured the last of the restraints.

Batgirl shot him a withering look before climbing out of the water under the cover of the pier. "I located two bombs that I disabled, but next time, I'll just leave them there."

"You couldn't knock him out, _then_ disarm the bombs?"

"I didn't think I'd be able to find them again. At least Croc is easy to locate with the sonar."

"Fine, whatever," he knew she was right, but he wouldn't admit it, "let's just take out the rooftop patrol."

"Keep an eye out for Scarecrow. He has to be around here somewhere, even if he does want us all to think he's still dead."

It took them only minutes to silently make their way to their respective rooftops. Nightwing was able to easily land soundless behind Catwoman without his presence being detected.

"So I hear you're in the market for a new cat." He smiled when she jumped slightly before spinning around.

"What makes you say that?" she drawled with her sultry voice.

"Because we've been taking care of Isis in your absence. We noticed you went on vacation without her and we didn't want our favorite kitty to starve to death."

Anger flashed in Catwoman's green eyes. "You... you took Isis!" she sputtered.

"Actually, it was Batgirl, but we've all taken turns petting your pussy."

Growling, Catwoman quickly took hold of her whip and snapped it in Nightwing's direction. He back flipped out of the way and easily began dodging her attacks.

"You know, she was scratching up some of the furniture, so we had her declawed." They hadn't done anything more than check Isis for homing beacons and feed her, but Nightwing knew Selina's position on this. A cat without claws is an insult to her of the most brutal kind.

"Why… why you…" she sputtered again before launching herself towards him.

Nightwing cartwheeled out of the way and managed to incapacitate her with a smoke bomb. "I'd love to have gone 'mano y mano', but time is of the essence. Don't worry, we'll take care of Isis while you're doing another stint at Blackgate. Ta-Ta wittle kittie!"

Catwoman struggled as she growled curses at her captor, but he had already handcuffed her to a nearby vent and was securing her further. Catwoman was notorious for breaking loose from restraints, even ones secured by Batman, but they had finally found a combination that kept her restrained for a longer period of time.

"Officer Montoya, this is Nightwing. I have Catwoman secured on the roof of the Robinson office building. Please send a team up as discretely as possible, so as not to alert the other perpetrators and jeopardize the hostages."

"Copy that, Nightwing. Batgirl has already alerted us to Killer Croc's location and the need for discretion."

Blowing a sigh of relief, Nightwing was glad that Montoya was in charge when Gordon was unavailable, and not Bullock.

He took up Catwoman's watch until he heard from Batgirl, wanting to make sure they were still undetected by the remaining criminals.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

"What am I doing?" Batgirl muttered to herself as she perched on a window ledge on her way up to meet Clayface. 

She hadn't had much luck battling Clayface on her own, despite her knowledge of his weaknesses. Typing a code into her communicator, she accessed the directory in her cell phone and placed a call. Once finished, she continued to make her way to the rooftop that Clayface was perched on. She paused as Nightwing came over the com-link.

"Yes?" she whispered as silently as she could.

"Can you get the batboat down here? You can access it easier than I can."

"What do you have in mind?"

"With Croc out of the way, I have an idea…"

After listening to his plan, Batgirl patched into the batcave, released the batboat, and instructed the autopilot to silently make its way to the Gotham Bay.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

"Oh, Brucie! Hold me!" Veronica cried as she latched onto Bruce Wayne's arm.

"I'm sure it will be alright, Ronnie," he sighed as he tried to release himself from her in the small confines. He knew Batgirl and Nightwing would be on the scene, but he worried how they would fair against so many of his adversaries working together.

He wanted to work on a way out of the crate, but he knew that if any of them tried to escape, they would be shot by one of their captors. Fearing for the safety of the other hostages, he knew he couldn't take that chance. He began thinking of other possible ways to get them out. He then heard a thud at the bottom of the crate. It mysteriously sounded like a…

"They didn't get my cell phone!" Pierce cried out excitedly, breaking Bruce's train of thought. "We can…"

"What are we going to do with that?" Veronica hissed. "Everyone knows we're in here!"

His face dropping, Pierce began to put his phone back in his pocket when it suddenly rang.

"He-hello?" he asked hesitantly, noting that the caller ID only displayed a random sequence of characters. After a moment, he held his cell phone out and put it on speaker for all to here.

"This is Nightwing, partner of the Batman," came the voice over the phone. "I need you all to stand against the walls of the crate. Don't move. Don't make any noise."

The connection ended and the hostages quickly took their places. Within moments, a small red laser light silently cut a hole into the bottom of the crate. Popping the cut out back into the crate, the hole was now visible, revealing to the hostages Nightwing, balanced on a jump line that was connected to both the bottom of the crate and the batboat down below in the water. They could barely make him out as a thick fog was also visible.

A corner of Bruce's mouth rose. The fog machine he had installed in the batboat was worth every penny.

The fog began entering the crate and it was then that Bruce saw a small breathing device being tossed his way. He quickly and stealthily secured it as the hostages began going unconscious.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

"Get up."

Ted Kord opened his eyes groggily at the intimidating growl issuing a command. "Wha…"

"You need to suit up and get us back to the bay."

His vision coming into focus, Ted saw the great Batman standing before him. It practically made him jump. He then realized they were in his secret lair, which apparently wasn't so secret.

"The other hostages are safe, but we need the Blue Beetle's help. There's no time."

Shaking his head briefly, Ted Kord got to his feet and headed over to where he stored his suit. As he quickly dressed and grabbed a few items, he tried to remember what happened. He remembered Pierce Montague's phone ringing and Nightwing cutting a hole in the crate, but then… it got hazy.

"It was necessary to tranquilize the hostages to secure their escape. We couldn't risk their safety as it was a long way down to the boat. We didn't want to alert Poison Ivy or Harley Quinn," Batman interjected, sensing the other man's thoughts as they headed towards his aircraft: the Bug.

"Anywhere particular in the bay?" The Blue Beetle asked. Now wasn't the time for questioning Batman as there were more hostages from the ball and Gotham's most dangerous criminals on the loose.

From behind his mask, Batman narrowed his eyes. "Top of the Plaza. I want Two Face."

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

With the crate secretly empty of hostages, Nightwing made his way to the Galvaston building, hoping to ensnare Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. While Quinn was completely fearless and unpredictable, Ivy was a more straight forward: deadly toxins, man-eating plants and killer jujitsu moves. Fixing a sleek gas mask over his face, he spotted the duo arguing near the crane controls.

"… all I'm saying, Harley, is that the last time I let you operate heavy machinery, I lost half my house. Bane doesn't see anything suspicious from his post and the fog is passing through. We don't need to raise the crate."

"Aw c'mon, Red! I wanna swing the mayor around for screwing up so many of my parole hearings."

"Do you blame him? You killed his prize-winning dog, kidnapped his son, bombed his office and terrorized his city with the Clown Prince of Catastrophy!"

"It's Clown Prince of Crime!"

"Whatever!"

Stifling a laugh, Nightwing began to advance, but a thick tendril wound around his ankle and yanked his body upwards.

Seeing her security at work, Ivy turned towards the dangling vigilante. "Well, well, well! I was wondering when one of the bats would show up!"

He could tell Harley was about to take a flying leap at him. Quickly reaching into his weapons cache, he threw a herbicide bomb at his present attacker, releasing the tendril's hold on himself.

Somersaulting into a perfect landing as Harley's flying kick caused her to whiz over his head, he rushed towards Ivy. Blocking her moves, he made his way around her, making sure not to keep his back open for Harley's attacks.

Keeping his own against the two, he could only hope Bane was not alerted.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Batgirl wasn't doing as well as she had hoped against Clayface. She was now completely on the defensive as she narrowly escaped being plastered several times. She had only one electric batarang, but it was now lodged into a pipe as Clayface had melted into a puddle to avoid being struck.

Her leg muscles ached as she jumped to dodge another pillar of clay being thrown her way. Flipping to a nearby perch, she began to calculate how to get to the batarang. Taking another flying leap, she again avoided wave after wave of attacks.

Landing on the roof's ledge, she reached for the batarang. Just as her fingers grazed it, she was ensnared in flesh-colored goop and hoisted high in the air. Before she could try and react she was slammed to the ground, the clay enclosing around her. 'I called it,' she thought to herself, 'suffocated under a ton of clay…'

Clayface's deep laugh rang in her ears. "Did you really think you could defeat me?"

"N-No," she managed to choke out as the mound began closing over her face. "That's why… I called… him."

Following her gesturing arm as it became covered, Clayface turned. He barely registered the blue and red form hovering just beyond the roof's edge before red light shot from it's eyes.

Screaming, Clayface struggled to get away, but it was too late. The heat of Superman's rays began evaporating the moisture from his body. With each pass of his eyes, Clayface's body dried and cracked, until only a dust heap was left.

As Batgirl regained her breath, Superman floated over to the pile of dried mud and removed his cape. "Allow me," he murmured, before tying the mess up in the red fabric. "Anything else I can help with?"

Still couching up bits of clay, Batgirl held up two fingers, indicating how many more favors she needed of her ally.

The Man of Steel shrugged. "Sure. It's a slow night in Metropolis."

Finally regaining her composure, Batgirls stood and allowed Superman to scoop her up in his arms. "Must be nice."

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

AN: Having the major players of Gotham hanging in a crate over a body of water, as arranged by a group of villains working together, was originally a plot in an old Shadow of the Bat comic.


	12. Chapter 12

For Appearance's Sake

By Teala373

Chapter 12

In our last chapter: Nightwing and Batgirl begin taking out villains and releasing the hostages from the crate. Once released, Batman enlists the help of Blue Beetle, while Batgirl gets a lift from the Man of Steel.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Nightwing looked down at the timer in on his communicator. "Seventeen minutes and twenty-three seconds," he murmured to himself. "Not bad."

Satisfied that he had taken down Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn in a fair amount of time, he began to head towards the Top of the Plaza, where other hostages were being held. He had barely taken several steps when his instincts alerted him that something wasn't right. Just as he turned around, a thunderous crack announced Bane landing on the ground before him.

"This is going to suck," the young hero sighed to himself as he whipped a pair of escrima sticks from his gauntlets.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

With the remaining hostages of the ball all cowering in the right far corner of the room. It made it easy for the Blue Beetle's flying bug to make a surprise entrance. Crashing the nose of the aircraft through the window, Two-Face and Firefly were thrown backwards.

Batman made his way into the ballroom and quickly targeted Firefly. Three precisely thrown batarangs sliced through Firefly's gear, disconnecting his flame throwers from the fuel cache on his back. He then prepared himself as Blue Beetle was quickly by his side to take on both Riddler's and Mad Hatter's goons heading their way.

Two Face was slowly regaining his senses, after being knocked through a table and into a wall. He staggered towards his gun, laying only a few feet away. In his peripheral vision, Batman could see Two Face leaning over the weapon; however, he had seven large men currently monopolizing his primary focus.

Narrowly avoiding a large vase coming down on his head, Blue Beetle was also ill equipped to stop Two Face as he desperately dodged wave after wave of attack before getting his own punches in.

Raising the gun, Two Face began taking aim. Grimacing beneath his mask, Batman gained a new strength from the wild release of adrenaline in his veins. He fought the men off with a new vigor, hoping to get to Two Face. He had such hopes that Harvey would rehabilitate this time, that it was a devastating blow to see his former best friend aiming a gun at his head. He had such hopes that Harvey would take to the rehabilitation this time. The devastation of seeing his former best friend raise a gun towards him fueled his rage. In most cases Bruce would try to separate feelings from duty. But, not with this. It is too much, even for him…to see his former friend, once again, become that which Batman has struggled against since he was a child: a crazed man…with a gun.

In the midst of the melee, Blue Beetle was able to take down three of his assailants, but still had two to tackle. Throwing bolo whips at Riddler and Mad Hatter, he then set his sights back on his last two attackers.

Batman began to prepare for dodging Harvey's bullet. He planned a calculated fall that would allow him to also keep the bullet away from Blue Beetle.

Two Face pulled back on the gun's hammer, loading the bullet into the chamber.

Elbowing an assailant in the face, Batman began the motions for getting out of the bullet's path.

The trigger of the gun slowly disappeared behind Two Face's grotesque finger…

_Bam!_

Milliseconds from being fired, the gun flew unused from Two Face's hand a second time as Batgirl seemingly appeared out of no where, crashing into him and knocking them both to the ground. Quickly securing him with handcuffs and rope, Batgirl ran past Batman and Blue Beetle.

"Hey!" Blue Beetle called out as he landed a hard punch. "Where did you come from?"

"I got a lift from a friend!" She yelled over her shoulder.

While Batgirl released the remaining hostages and ushered them out of the ballroom, the remaining criminals were restrained.

"GCPD are on their way," Batgirl called out breathlessly as she ran back into the room, the last hostage packed into an elevator. She was about to say more when her eyes suddenly went wide. "Gas!" she cried, pointing up to a green smoke just beginning to filter in through the vents.

Grabbing the neatly tied up Riddler and Mad Hatter by the scruffs of their neck, she began dragging them out of the room and into the hallway. Following suit, Batman tossed Blue Beetle his spare breathing device before securing his primary one. They began rounding up the defeated criminals and getting them away from the vents.

Unceremoniously throwing Riddler and Mad Hatter into an empty elevator, Batgirl cursed under her breath. "It has to be Scarecrow!" Stepping on Riddler's shoulder and Mad Hatter's stiff hat, electing protests from both, she pushed up the panel to the top of the elevator. Once inside the elevator shaft, she shot a jump line straight up and began her ascent.

When Batman and Blue Beetle began bringing the others out to the elevator, they were greeted with a disgruntled Riddler chastising Batman on the manners of his companions.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Nightwing was doing about as well with Bane as Batgirl had done with Clayface. Completely on the defensive, it was all he could do to stay out of the massive man's way while he wracked his brain in desperations to develop a strategy.

Any ropes or bolo whips he tried to secure him with were discarded. Throwing objects, even sharp ones, had little effect, and martial arts moves were almost ineffective. As Bane wore a protective piece over his nether region, hitting that was out of the question. He tried to pull the tube out of his neck, but Bane was well aware of that Achilles' heel and guarded it well. Nightwing had tried kicking out his legs, striking his windpipe, even poking his eyes, but it was all to no avail.

Flipping away from another attack, Nightwing tried to think of a way to use his surroundings to get Bane off guard. He began formulating a plan to get him into the water, but quickly had to abandon it as Bane splintered the crate he had been crouching on into hundreds of pieces. He desperately tried to maneuver the giant towards the dock's edge, but before he could, Bane was able to grab hold of him.

The behemoth held the slim hero high above his head in a nearly bone breaking grasp. "How many of your vertebrae do you think will break?" He growled as he prepared to crack the hero's back over his knee.

Nightwing struggled to pull anything out of his gauntlets in an attempt to get free as Bane laughed heartily. Just before he could produce a weapon, he was hurled to the ground, accompanied by the sound of a loud crack behind him. Quickly getting to his feet, he saw that Bane had also been knocked over.

Not sure what had happened, Nightwing stepped back, still planning to lead Bane to water as he watched him rise to his feet. But, before Bane could take another step, Superman came down hard upon him, slamming him into through he pavement.

The now unconscious villain was half-buried in a crater of Superman's design. Running over, Nightwing quickly disconnected Bane's tube and called into the GCPD.

"Thanks, Big Guy," he greeted the Man of Steel. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you!"

Superman smiled. "You're welcome. I just delivered Batgirl to the ballroom, but I could use your help defusing bombs."

"There's more bombs?"

"Oh, yeah."

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Having made her way to the roof, Batgirl spotted Scarecrow lurking in the shadows. She wasted no time in addressing him.

"Not so fast, Crane!" she called out to the retreating figure. As he turned, she pulled a small, modified oxygen mask to cover her nose and mouth, should he choose to shoot poison at her. Her other hand prepared a bolo whip to secure him with. However, before either party could complete a defensive or offensive move, a shot rang out. Blood spurted wildly from the Scarecrow's head as he fell to the ground.

It was followed by very distinctive maniacal laughter.

Turning, Batgirl saw the moonlight illuminating the Joker. A smoking gun was held lightly in his hand as he laughed over his dead aim. "Serves you right for not inviting me to your soirée, Crane!" He called out, his crazed voice dancing on the wind.

Batgirl jumped into the shadows and ducked behind a vent. The Joker was too wild and unpredictable for her to be out in the open without a plan.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are, Bat-wench!" The Joker yelled over out to her. "I did you a favor! The least you can say is 'thank you'! We're on the same side! We both want to get rid of these vermin. You don't want them dropping the crate and I want to make them pay for letting me rot in Arkham while they planned a grand caper!"

Batgirl quickly called Montoya on her communicator and updated her on the situation. "Check Arkham for casualties and other escaped inmates," she warned before cutting the connection. She gripped the bolo whip tightly in her hand as she prepared to face the greatest villain in Gotham's history.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

The Joker's laugh had carried across the entire bay. Batman and Nightwing quickly began making their way towards the rooftop where the Joker was jumping towards an advancing Batgirl.

Blue Beetle quickly finished rounding up the criminals in the elevator before heading back to the Bug. He had a feeling it might be needed.

Superman continued with deactivating the bombs. The Joker was one thing, but the Joker plus bombs was another. He kept his ears open in case the three Gotham heroes needed extra muscle.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

The Joker's wild unpredictability, total lack of fear and complete disregard for human life (including his own), made him a formidable enemy. While Batgirl was confident in her abilities, she knew that this wasn't the average super villain. Formulas, equations, and airtight strategies were out of the question. Going up against the Joker involved trying to be one step ahead of his cockamamie brain and being flexible in defense against his psychotic attacks. She wasn't fighting a person so much as she was fighting a walking psychosis.

Dodging bullets, Batgirl finally was able to use her batarang to knock the gun from his hand. She ignored his insane babbling and concentrated only on his movement. He became irritated with her complete lack of response to his quips and questions, and produced a collapsible pogo stick that he quickly assembled.

Bouncing around and dropping small bombs, his laughter continued to fill the night air. "You're boring me, Bat Chica! At least ol' Batsy attempts to humor me? Where is old Bat Ears, anyway."

Wildly turning his pogo stick at an insane angle, he quickly produced a gun from within the folds of his jacket. This one different from that brandished against Scarecrow earlier. Firing it at Batgirl, a giant rubber fist on a spring smacked her square in the throat, causing her to stagger backwards and smack her head soundly into a heating vent. Dazed, she barely registered the Joker dismounting his pogo stick and giving her a swift kick to her behind, resulting in her flying off the edge of the roof.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Both Batman and Nightwing felt time shrink around them as they watched a nearly unconscious Batgirl go tumbling off the roof of the Gotham plaza. Each shooting jump line, they made their way to the scene.

Nightwing swung his line sharply in the direction of the falling body. Knowing that he was going to come up short, he jumped off the line and collided with her body as she fell. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and grabbed her jump line. He was able to shoot out the line and secure it, but he had trouble both holding on to Batgirl and keeping control of his momentum.

Seeing the Bug flying below him, he let go of the line and fell squarely on the aircraft's roof. A small panel near his feet opened.

"Get her in here!" Came Blue Beetle's voice from inside.

Wasting no time, Nightwing lowered Batgirl through the opening, before entering himself. He had just enough time to secure her in one of the seats before Blue Beetle was forced to make a sharp turn. Nightwing crashed into an electric panel, but being no stranger to being tossed about in a wildly flying plane, he made his way to the co-pilot seat and strapped himself in.

"We need to get her to a doctor!"

"Anywhere in particular?"

"Thompkins clinic in Old Gotham."

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

In a blinding rage, Batman had zipped up his jump line to the plaza rooftop. Immediately grabbing the Joker around the throat, he slammed him down. Hard.

"Batsy… (couch)… what…"

Batman punched the Joker with such force, three of his giant yellow teeth went flying with a thin line of blood.

That was only the first punch.

Batman continued to pummel the Joker. The beating was so merciless that Joker himself began to quiver with anticipation that he was finally going to die at the hands of his greatest adversary. He was given relief when Superman appeared behind Batman and pulled him back.

"That's enough!"

Catching his breath, Batman shrugged Superman's hands from his shoulders and stalked to the edge of the roof. He looked down, hoping not to find one or both of his partners splattered on the ground below.

"He caught her," Superman stated, guessing Batman's thoughts. "Blue Beetle has them in the Bug and they are heading North West."

Guessing their destination, the Dark Knight heaved a sigh of relief.

Bending a large piece of scrap metal around the Clown Prince of Crime, Superman leaned Joker against the heating vent for the Gotham Police to pick up.

"I think it's time for you to go home," he gently instructed, laying a more comforting hand on Batman's shoulder.

Looking down at the blood on his gloves, the other man nodded.

"Need a lift?"

"Thanks," Batman shot his jump line out across the night, "but I've got it."


	13. Chapter 13

For Appearance's Sake

By Teala373

Chapter 13

In our last chapter: Our heroes manage to stop the criminals, but not before Joker crashes the party and endangers Batgirl. Nightwing saves her from a plummet off the roof while Batman seeks vengeance in pummeling the Joker.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

"Bruce," Harvey Dent groaned as he noticed his old friend, "why do you bother?"

"You're my best friend, Harv. You're going to beat this."

"You're never going to give up on me?"

"No. Never."

Closing his eyes, Harvey turned his head away. "I almost killed Batman this time. I had a perfect shot, but Batgirl took me down."

"Oh, yeah?" Bruce swallowed a large lump in his throat. "I hear she's really something."

"Good fighter. Lots of spunk. I think Bats has a thing for her. I heard he almost broke his 'no kill' rule with the Joker for knocking her off the roof."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Harvey continued. "Heard Superman had to pull him off. Joker's pretty messed up. Lost several teeth."

"That so?"

"Joker was pretty miffed we didn't include him, but can you blame us?"

Letting out a small laugh, Bruce unclenched his white-knuckled fists. "No… I guess I can't."

"Well, enough about that. What about you? I read you've been all over town with the commissioner's daughter."

Turning his head away, Bruce squeezed his eyes shut. "Yeah… about that…"

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

"Morning, gorgeous."

Her eyelids weakly fluttering open, Barbara found herself staring directly into Dick Grayson's happy and relieved eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept much and had the beginnings of a five o'clock shadow.

"…Dick…"

Getting up from his chair, he sat down on the edge of her bed and took her hand in his. "The Joker got you pretty good."

"Oh…"

"Don't worry," he began stroking her hand. "Everything's fine now. All the hostages are safe and the bad guys are behind bars. They got Penguin and Blockbuster, too."

Trying to ignore the tingling in her spine that his touch elicited, she shifted slightly. "My father…"

"He's fine. He had to go finish his statement. I promised I would keep my watch over you."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"Blue Beetle and I took you to Leslie. She patched you up and got you in your civies, so we could move you to the hospital."

Barbara nodded. She was on the verge of saying something, but Dick continued babbling.

"Alfred came back early. He took Bruce over to Bellvue to see Harvey."

Barbara nodded.

"You know," Dick continued, "he almost killed the Joker when he saw he had hurt you." Both his voice and eyes dropped at this admission.

Barbara nodded again. The drugs she had been administered were making it hard for her to react quickly enough to his statements. She remained silent, internally fighting to break the hold they had on her. When Dick ventured to look at back up at her, she had turned to stare vacantly out the window.

"Babs?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm not going back to Bludhaven."

She didn't say anything, or even turn her head back, still trying to formulate what she needed to say to him. Her mind still clearing, she laced her fingers through his in acknowledgment of his statement.

"I'm… I'm still in love with you," he blurted. "I know I made mistakes and that I have competition, but…"

"Do you think Alfred can make me some oatmeal raisin cookies?" She finally managed to say, he eyes still turned towards the window.

His face fell, though he gripped her hand tighter. "Sure, Babs… I'm sure he will…"

"Good," she finally turned back towards him, having fought through the haze clouding her mind. "I thought I could pack them with a picnic lunch and we could go to that park near Robinsville."

He looked at her as though she had grown two heads.

Smiling, she continued. "Bruce came in earlier… before dawn. You had fallen asleep. He congratulated me on passing his test. We were only dating for appearance's sake so we could more easily work on the case. He was using the opportunity to… test me as his new partner… Since the case is closed, we don't have to pretend anymore…"

They both stared at each other for a long time, a thousand unspoken words passing between them. Finally, Dick leaned forward and kissed Barbara as he had imagined doing a hundred times since his return to Gotham.

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

Alfred walked down the steps into the batcave with a fresh pot of coffee. Knowing that Dick and Barbara were at the grand re-opening of the Iceberg Lounge (under new management), he wasn't surprised to find Bruce wistfully staring at Batgirl's costume where it hung in the case.

"You did a very selfless thing, Master Bruce."

The younger man sighed before affixing his usual stoic face. "She wasn't really my type. Besides, someone has to take Veronica to Pierce's latest charity event."

Before Alfred could respond, a set of beeps sounded from the console. Swiftly donning his cape and cowl, Bruce walked over and turned on the video interface. He soon found himself answering a call from Superman.

"We're putting together something of a league," Superman stated. "I already have a couple of recruits, but we could really use your expertise."

"Team work isn't my style," Batman stated, eliciting a raised eyebrow from the man of steel.

"Oh, come on," Superman chided. "I thought Wonder Woman was going to be the hardest sell, and it only took me 30 seconds to convince her."

"Wonder Woman?"

As if on cue, the Amazon princess walked onto the screen. "Kal-El said I have much to learn from you. I am good in combat, but need more work in investigation skills."

His face hidden from the princess as he stood in front of her, Superman sent Batman a saucy look.

Clearing his throat, Batman pressed a button that began preparing the batplane. "Where is your current location?"

"Star Labs in Metropolis until we can find a better base of operations."

A corner of the detective's mouth rose. "I think I might be able to help you with that. I'll be there in an hour."

Cutting the connection, he began heading towards the batplane. Alfred met him, handing him the fresh coffee now packed in a thermos. "It appears Superman is a better matchmaker than one would give him credit for."

Ignoring him, Batman took the thermos and climbed into the cockpit.

Alfred smiled to himself as he headed back to the main living quarters of the house. He was confident the Amazon princess was just what his master needed to get his mind off Barbara Gordon.

fin

(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)O(o)

AN: Thank you for sticking it through to the end. I hope you enjoyed the story! I wrote this in response to not liking how the stupid B:TAS Batwoman movie portrayed Bruce and Barbara's 'relationship' and that Nightwing was just out of the picture.


End file.
